Long Way Home
by Pyeknu
Summary: Prequel to "Phoenix From the Ashes." In the wake of the attempted marriage between Moroboshi Ataru and Redet Hensō, people who knew them both in Tomobiki move on with their lives. Amongst them are Ataru's new sisters, Negako, Tariko and Hiromi.
1. The Moroboshi Siblings' Homecoming

Passing Neptune's orbit, Tuesday 2 March 2010, early afternoon (Tōkyō time) . . .

"So this is the final list of names?"

"Hai, Onē-chan," the young man with the dark red hair and tanned skin said after handing the dataPADD over to the woman with the tomboyish-cut shaggy brown hair now seated in the central chair on the main bridge of the first of fifty starships, each a kilometre long and bristling with enough weapons each to devastate a planet, leading a rather strange convoy of spacedocks, mobile space factories and a large rectangular-shaped craft that could swallow the top five largest cities on Earth within its hull with room to spare towards the third planet of the Sol star system. "For the nations that don't have a standing naval tradition – especially for the landlocked nations that never had cause to develop navies – choosing the names was difficult, but I think we got a good balance here." He smirked as he waved around him. "At least choosing _this_ ship's name was quite easy. As soon as the spacedocks assume orbit around the Moon, we'll get all the ships in there to put on their names and pendant numbers."

A nod. "Splendid." She then gazed over at one of the sensor stations on the port side of the bridge structure. "Tomomi-chan, any sign of any Royal Neptunian Naval vessel approaching us?" she asked the woman seated there.

"Negative, Hiromi-sama," the person at that station replied, her voice lilted with the accent of Hokkaidō even if she spoke with the clipped tones of someone who did not have any experience in expressing human emotions. "Our approach into the system was planned to allow us to pass Neptune's orbit on the opposite side of the solar system from where Neptune herself is. All standard Neptunian naval patrols are based closer to the actual planets and their natural satellites than free space."

The woman in the central chair nodded. "Excellent. I doubt that King Fuyu will do anything to impede our return home – especially given what was just revealed about his 'daughter' two months ago on Uru – but it's best to be safe than sorry."

"Hiromi-sama?"

"Yes, Satomi-chan?"

"We're receiving a signal from the Noukiite warship _K'uongno-nup'uk_."

"Ah! Put it on the main screen, please."

"Hai," the woman at the communications station said as she tapped a control.

The view screen mounted over the forward windows flicked on, revealing the image of a smiling humanoid woman in flowing robes – like those of her race, there was a prominent spinal ridge of bone radiating from the bridge of her nose over the top and back of her head, most of it buried under a long, flowing mass of burgundy red hair – currently seated on the bridge of her flagship. "Hiromi-yu!" the woman said with a delighted smile, adding her own native race's suffix honorific for a close friend to the name of the reborn second-to-last emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty. "Welcome to Earth." She then winked at her as she added, "For the first time as _yourself_!"

"You flatter me, Ch'esyuk-san," Moroboshi Hiromi said with a nod of her head. "How successful were Kyech-san and Onē-sama in dealing with Ōgi's boors?"

"Wonderfully successful," the governor of the planetary province of Teng, the Lady Seu-P'ya Yesu-Ki Hechnich'-Syechch'eng of K'uongno – "Ch'esyuk" was her childhood name – replied, her grin turning savage. "All of your brother's schoolmates and the others in and around Tomobiki-kak' have been made aware of what that monster and his so-called 'most faithful' were prepared to do. They are not the least bit impressed."

"Have they been giving Onē-sama a hard time?" Hiromi then wondered. "She did plan to tell everyone what she was prepared to do if Ganzo-ojiisama didn't provide her with her own body to allow the Promise of Bunka Go-nen to be finally fulfilled."

"They were told," Ch'esyuk explained. "But the Most Venerable Negako was also quite willing to demonstrate what she is capable of doing. AND she informed everyone there that your brother has the same capabilities. That scared a lot of people according to Kyech, especially your parents." A shake of the head; the governor of Tengsei, like almost all of her race, frowned heavily on any sort of child abuse, even the verbal abuse used by Moroboshi Kinshō towards her son over the last several years. "They don't know about you or Tariko-yu, but they do know that the Most Venerable Negako does possess adult status now in Japan and could take Ataru-yu away from them without hesitation. It scares them. I doubt you'll have much in the way of problems getting settled down, even if they won't get their new life on Uru as a result."

"Pity," Hiromi said, a wry smirk crossing her face.

Ch'esyuk giggled, and then she took a moment to glance around the bridge of Hiromi's flagship. "My! So _**this**_ is an example of the technology of the Maidens of the World of Holy Reincarnation! I dare say any questions of Earth's safety from now on will be rendered quite moot once our sister Avalonians begin settling on the planet."

"Indeed."

"Does such a beautiful ship possess a name?"

Hiromi smirked. "_Haida_."

* * *

_**Long Way Home**_  
by Fred Herriot

Based on _Urusei Yatsura_, created by Takahashi Rumiko; and _Ikkitōsen_, created by Shiozaki Yūji.

Including characters and references from _Koihime __Musō_, created by BaseSon; _Zenkoku Seifuku Bishōjo Grand Prix_, created by Lyceen; _Kōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi_, created by Kaishaku (Ōta Hitoshi and Shichinohe Terumasa); _Hōkago Ren'ai Club_, created by Libido and QT Software; _Swiri_, written and directed by Kang Chegyu; _Ranma ½_, created by Takahashi Rumiko; _Zipang_, created by Kawaguchi Kaiji; _Aozora Shōjotai_ and _Maico 2010_, both created by Shimizu Toshimitsu; _Ch'ŏn'gun_, written and directed by Min Chun'gi; the _NOëL_ series, created by Pioneer LDC; _Sentimental Graffiti_, created by NEC Interchannel; _The Final Countdown_, written by Thomas Hunter, Peter Powell, David Ambrose and Gerry Davis and directed by Don Taylor; _Colourful Kiss_, created by GIGA; _Cityhunter_ and _Angel Heart_, written by Hōjō Tsukasa; _Crying Freeman_, written by Koike Kazuo and Ikegami Ryōichi; _Sanctuary_, written by Fumimura Shō and Ikegami Ryōichi; _Mai The Psychic Girl_, created by Kudō Kazuya and Ikegami Ryōichi; _Noir_, created by Tsukimura Ryōe and Mashimo Kōichi; _Harry Potter_, written by Joanna K. Rowling;

The theme song from _Uchū Senkan Yamato_ (1974), composed by Miyagawa Hiroshi, lyrics by Aku Yū.

Prequel to _Phoenix From the Ashes_, a story derived from the fanfic _The Bet: Crippled_, written by Gregg Sharp. This story also contains characters and situations from the fanfic series _Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year_, created by Mike Smith and Fred Herriot.

* * *

_**WRITER'S INTRODUCTION:**__ This is a prequel story to _Phoenix From the Ashes_, which will concentrate on events surrounding Moroboshi Hiromi (also known as "Ryūkō Kyōrei"), not to mention her siblings, in the wake of the failed marriage attempt between Hiromi's b__rother Ataru and the fake Lum (look at the flashback scene in Part 10 of _PFTA_ to see what happened there), which falls at the end of the first _Urusei Yatsura_ movie _Only You_ in anime continuity (before Chapter 147 in the manga series, which is where Fujinam__i Ryūnosuke makes her first appearance in the storyline)._

_In a change from my previous stories, all writer's notes will, as the story is being posted, appear at the end of every chapter. When the story is complete, they will then be shifted to the end of the story text as I have done before._

* * *

Tomobiki, near the Moroboshi home, Tuesday 2 March 2010, mid-afternoon . . .

"Most Venerable."

The twenty-something woman in the black martial arts gi turned to gaze on the kneeling Noukiite Imperial Marine trooper, who was saluting her in the proper style for his people: Clenched left fist pressed into the open right palm, both held close over his heart. "Yes, what is it?" Moroboshi Negako asked, her twitching right eyebrow the only physical indication of her annoyance at being addressed with the highest formal salutatory title that could be applied by a Noukiite to any sentient being.

He stood, and then reached into a cargo bag to pull out a black book, the words **MY DIARY** written in gold Roman script on the front cover. "Your venerable brother's personal journal, Most Venerable," he said as he presented it with both hands to her.

Negako nodded as she took the diary. "You have my thanks," she calmly stated as she gazed at him. "Return to your nominal duties."

A deep bow and hand salute. "Please excuse me, Most Venerable."

Watching him head off to join his small section of riflemen, Miyake Shinobu blinked before she stared at the book in the ninjutsu grandmaster's hand. "That's Ataru-kun's diary?" she asked, the confusion in her voice quite obvious. "I would think he would keep that in his bedroom. Where was it, Negako-san?"

"In a secure location." On noting her current companion's curious look, Negako thinly smiled. "The journal you are thinking of is a _falsified_ one Ataru began to produce two summers ago," she stated as she and Shinobu turned down the street towards the Moroboshi home. "As I told you several times since I came here to remove the Niphentaxian agents from Tomobiki and neighbouring habitations, his total lack of trust towards anyone – even Muchi, Kinshō and yourself – made him take quite considerable precautions towards protecting his secrets. Such precautions were proven wise after he learned of Hensō's willingness to violate such secrets at a whim." She gave Ataru's former girlfriend a knowing look. "In this journal are recorded some embarrassing facts that, were they to get into the open, would cause considerable emotional injury to certain parties were they revealed. Yourself for example, not to mention Kinshō."

Shinobu's breath caught in her throat, and then she sighed. "I see . . . "

_Diaries . . .!_

Hearing that word echo in her mind, Ataru's former girlfriend felt a scowl cross her face. It wasn't bad enough that Ataru had been missing for over two months, ever since he had allowed himself to be taken by the Noukiite free warrior known throughout the local star systems as "She Who Speaks to Dragons" in the wake of the attempted marriage between himself and Redet Hensō at the cathedral in Onishuto, Uru's capital city. No, that had actually been par for the course when it came to Ataru and those who associated with him, especially since last summer when humanity finally learned they were not alone in the Universe. The thing that had righteously upset her – not to mention many others – was learning not two days ago that their entire _town_ had been literally under the galactic microscope thanks to a race none of them had ever heard of and none of their alien guests had ever spoken of . . . yet, out of some mad religious belief that Hensō (whom they mistook as Lum) was a living GODDESS of all things, had secretly inserted themselves amongst them to SPY on them, reporting all the events that had happened here since shortly after the Tag Race the previous summer to an audience numbering in the BILLIONS in a three-star system fifty light-years away from Earth. And if that wasn't bad enough, these Niphentaxians (as they called themselves as a whole) – out of some insane fear that people in Tomobiki might turn their backs on their beloved "Lum-sama," especially her "Holy Apostles" and "Holy Company" – gladly planted a _**cobalt bomb**_ of all things in the heart of Tomobiki, possessing the explosive power TEN TIMES that of the Tsar Bomb the Soviets tested on Novaya Zemlya in 1961!

Remembering what had happened very early on Monday morning, Shinobu then relaxed herself. While all of Tomobiki had been asleep, a regiment's worth of Noukiite Imperial Marines – the elite battle troops of one of the most powerful races in the local cluster, a race who could claim to be Earth's closest neighbour (one of their colonies was on the fourth planet orbiting Alpha Centauri, which they called "Tengsei") – had slipped into the city and effortlessly captured over THREE HUNDRED of these alien spies. At the same time, Negako – assisted by the Dragonspeaker, who was known to her closest friends as "Kyech" – had gone to the Tarōzakura hill at the south end of the Mendô estate to trigger a controlled explosion of ki energy that had been gathering there for over a decade. That sent a burning bolt of power into space to attack a resupply convoy from Phentax Two who had come to obtain sensor readings and copies of the diaries of people such as Shinobu herself for return to their homeworld. When the blast failed to destroy all the ships, Kyech then snared the cobalt bomb – it had been buried in the town Ginza, under a boarded-up restaurant – and teleported it into space, allowing the device to detonate and wipe out the survivors, who had been trying to flee back to their homeworld to warn their leaders of what was happening.

_Not that they would have anything to go back to these days_, Shinobu mentally added as she gazed on Negako's icily passive face. After dawn broke over Tomobiki on Monday and the captured prisoners were presented to a stunned population on the front lawn of Tomobiki High School, the ninjutsu grandmaster and the Noukiite free warrior dropped an emotional bomb even worse than the physical one the latter had tossed into deep space: On the previous Wednesday, a combined force of Noukiites and Yehisrites (a race of alien warriors compatible to the Klingons from _Star Trek_) had attacked the Phentax system to liberate a slave race of _**bioroids**_ and the great factory ship where they had been created. The results had been ugly: The planet the bioroid factory had been on had been destroyed, killing FIVE MILLION Niphentaxians, the bioroids themselves had been recovered without any loss . . . and worst of all, not just for the Niphentaxians but their allies (including Lum's homeworld of Uru), almost the whole Niphentaxian Navy – over THREE THOUSAND combat ships! – had been wrecked, thus leaving their whole system vulnerable to potential invasion by their enemies.

The screams of horror and pain felt by those people might have made Shinobu feel sorry for them . . . until she saw the _Book of Lum_ and read one particular chapter of the Niphentaxians' holy book, "The Book of the Sinful Doubter Miyake Shinobu."

"Shinobu-sama!"

Shinobu perked, and then she smiled as she looked over. "Ah, Reiko-chan!"

Walking up to her was a slender tomboy with shaggy short brown hair and eyes the shade of maple fudge, dressed quite plainly in a button blouse and slacks. Without any prompt, said girl then leaned up to deliver a tender kiss onto Shinobu's lips, which made Ataru's former girlfriend blush though she didn't force the other woman away from her. Watching this tender moment, Negako's normally cold smile seemed to warm up as she stated, "You have received most heartening news, Reiko. What has occurred?"

Tokiwa Reiko blushed before she broke away from Shinobu and scratched the back of her head, though she was now holding the other woman's hand. "Hai, Negako-sama! I just got in contact with three former servants of Aniki's parents; they worked in a café in Gekido Aniki's parents owned. They're applying now to come down to Earth to live in Kamakura; they were modelled after three characters from one of the _NOëL_ games from the 1990s, so they were programmed to consider that city home." A sigh. "Oh, it'll be so nice to see Yumi, Ryō and Chisato again!" She turned to gaze on Shinobu. "Ne, Shinobu-sama, would you like to come to a party we're holding for them when they finally are allowed to come down to Earth next Friday? It'll be loads of fun!"

Shinobu gave her a wary look. "Is that party going to include sex?"

Reiko looked confused. "Probably. Why?"

A sigh. "Reiko-chan, much that I understand that you and the others were made to be sex-companions for your 'brother' and his friends, you have to get away from being so casual about that sort of thing!" Shinobu protested. "People will think you're nothing more than a pack of sluts ready to spread your legs for any perverted boy that comes along willing to share a bed with you! Honestly, you can't . . .!"

"Shinobu."

Shinobu jerked on hearing that icy tone, and then she turned to stare warily at Negako. "H-h-h-hai?" Ataru's former girlfriend sputtered.

"While in some ways, people like Reiko and her companions are quite emotionally immature in comparison to others their physical age, you are not and cannot become their surrogate mother," the grandmaster scolded. "They are far more comfortable with their bodies than any normal Terran teenager their age. Cease attempting to force your morals upon them; while they are tolerant of you now, that may not remain the case in the future." To Reiko. "When Ataru resumes classes, Reiko, will you and your friends be willing to assist in helping him master his own sexual impulses?"

As Shinobu awked, Reiko nodded. "Of course, Negako-sama."

"Splendid. Greetings, Chigaiko. Yura."

Shinobu turned as she felt a barely-masked look of loathing come her away from her classmate before Inu Chigaiko turned her attention to the grandmaster. "Konban wa, Negako-san," the raven-haired, brown-eyed former basketball player – she had just quit the team in the wake of Negako removing a horrible curse from her that made everyone working at or attending Tomobiki High School (save Moroboshi Ataru) forget her name – said before she gazed at the smiling girl with the hazel eyes and blonde hair styled in a single ponytail over her left ear, who was now hugging one of her arms. "What's that you got there?" she then asked as she pointed to the book in Negako's hand.

"Ataru's personal journal. His _real_ journal, not the falsified one he allowed Hensō to spy upon whenever she was struck by the urge to learn his inner secrets."

Hearing that, Chigaiko blinked, and then she laughed. "Oh, that's rich!" she said as Akane Yura giggled, politely covering her mouth. "Miss 'I Control Everything About Darling Because I'm Smarter, Have More Technology and am More Powerful' . . . and she NEVER got a look into his REAL DIARY?" she demanded. "Hey, why don't you beam a message to Uru and tell that useless sack of flesh that? It'll be a load of laughs!"

"Much that such would be tempting, I believe Ataru might not approve," Negako stated. "Even if he can no longer see himself as truly loving Hensō, he does care for her none the less. And she was as much a victim of Zōju's curse as Lum herself was."

"Will she come back?"

Eyes locked on Shinobu. "No," Negako stated. "On hearing of the Niphentaxians and their involvement in what happened to Lum, Benten, Oyuki and Ran – not to mention coming to understand what the Niphentaxians are and their relationship with Lum and Hensō was, not to mention the matter with their enslavement of the Avalonians – Ataru exercised his rights under Paragraph Ten of the Tag Race Treaty between the United Nations and the Urusian government to declare all natives of Uru and her colonies _persona non grata_ when it comes to Earth. Even more, such will be guaranteed by the Imperial Dominion of Noukiios with the full agreement of the Seifukusu Dominion and the Ipraedies Empire. While that will not guarantee incidents such as what occurred while Hensō was residing here may not occur again, it will be a sufficient deterrent to ensure Hensō herself will not return, to say anything of Damasu, Rei or Jariten."

Chigaiko smirked. "That alone should make Ataru-kun happy," she said. "That little pest Jariten was as much of a troublemaker as his cousin was. Always flying about saying, 'Wai! I'm a good boy! Look at me!' And all the _idiots_ in this town sucked it up without caring for how much DAMAGE he was doing, especially when he gave his candy to a swallow to turn it into something the size of Gojira!" She snickered. "The one time he tried that cute act with me, I tossed a shaker full of _garlic powder_ right into his face!" The snickers turned to full-blown laughter. "Boy, you should've seen him fly off screaming like someone had lit a fire under his butt! Good riddance!"

Shinobu was aghast; she was well aware of how sensitive Oni-Urusians were to that particular spice. "Chigaiko-san! He's just a little boy!"

"He's a little MONSTER, Miyake! Just like Hensō, Damasu and the rest of them, too!" Chigaiko snarled back. "Besides, what the hell was that little twerp doing here, anyway? If he's supposedly a 'little boy,' why the hell was he allowed to live here virtually on his own? Where the hell were his parents in all this?"

"Well, from what I learned, his father died when he was just eleven months old, Chigaiko-sama," Yura then stated. "His mother is a volunteer for the Onishuto Fire Prevention and Urban Disaster Relief Brigade. From what Ten-sama wrote in his diaries, she was vicious when it came to dealing with arsonists. Given his flame-breath, if he had an accident at home, he could have been punished worse than Ran-sama was when she was a child and she endured punishments from her mother for things Lum-sama provoked."

Chigaiko sighed. "Then she should've come here to drag the little beast back to where he belongs!" A snort. "Pity Nengmek'i-sama didn't burn the lot down when Kyech-san took Ataru-kun away to help you finally get out of his mind, Negako-san." Ignoring Shinobu's wince – the whole of Class 2-4 had been scooped up by a space taxi just after Ataru, Hensō and the others had escaped from Elle's capital city of Baran, thus allowing them to be there for the "marriage" and witness what Kyech and her heavenly dragon friend, Nengmek'i, had done to put a stop to it – Chigaiko then snickered, and then she smiled at her companion. "C'mon, Yura-chan! Let's go get some ice cream!"

"Hai, Chigaiko-sama!"

With that, they headed off. Shinobu watched her go, and then she sighed. "She has a right to be angry, but still . . .!" she whispered.

"She requires time to come to grips with the matter of the curse forced on her because of Matabei's latest visit to Tomobiki High School," Negako stated as she gazed at Ataru's former girlfriend; Hirota Matabei was the real name of the Tomobiki High alumni calling himself "the Red Cloak." "She was isolated for something she ultimately never caused . . . and no one came to her assistance, not even those who were close to her before the curse was inflicted, to say anything of Sakura and Hayao. Even Ataru did not truthfully assist her save for greeting her every morning when they went to attend classes. That is the reason she refuses to associate with her former friends these days." Negako turned away. "I doubt much will develop if Chigaiko decides to seek Ataru as a boyfriend, especially given what happened between Ataru and Kyech. In the meantime, I will be making arrangements for the construction of the dōjō. Shinobu, Reiko." And with a curt nod to both of them, the grandmaster headed off.

Shinobu watched her go, and then she sighed. "Poor Ataru-kun . . . "

"Hai, poor Ataru-sama," Reiko said as they turned to head down a side street towards the Miyake home. "To learn that everything concerning his 'marriage' to Hensō was built on a mountain of lies . . . and then to fall in love with the _Dragonspeaker_ of all beings in the local cluster!" She shook her head. "I hope someone comes along in the future to give him what he requires. Much that he fulfilled the Sacred Promise . . . "

Shinobu nodded as her companion's voice trailed off. For the last two months, she had found herself questioning everything that had happened with Moroboshi Ataru since they became friends in kindergarten, a half-year before a dying man bestowed the most incredible "gift" on the young boy and forever altered the course of his life. And while in the long term, acting as the host for the _Saikō Jinseijutsu_ – as Negako had often been addressed as from long before the day in 1808 she became a sentient being – was the proper thing, the side effects of such a "gift" had been ugly. Making an inherently kind boy act like a girl-crazed loon – especially after puberty kicked in! – in a way of drawing in the necessary anti-ki energy Negako needed to create her own body at last, gladly preparing to do anything to ensure none could stand in her way of obtaining that goal . . . even going so far as to plan to kill ANYONE that was close to Ataru, such as Hensō, much less all their friends, both Terran and alien alike . . .

A shudder raced through her, though she was quick to sense Reiko's supportive hand fall on her shoulder as a surge of warmth and love flooded Shinobu's body, making her smile as she gazed on the young woman beside her before she leaned over to tenderly kiss her on the lips. While Shinobu had been staunchly Roman Catholic in her upbringing, she was rather liberal in her beliefs and had come to understand that people like Tokiha Reiko were simply wired quite differently and adhered to quite unusual standards of social and emotional norms. And while she personally hoped that Reiko and her sister Avalonians – as the race of bioroids freed from the Niphentaxians as a whole called themselves as a group – didn't end up getting a bad reputation for being so blatantly open and sexual, she could accept them for their simple honesty and strong willingness to help out in anything that needed to be done. Given their desire now to give Earth total access to their high technology – especially when it came to what they had seized from their former masters on their escape from the Phentax system a week before – it was understandable that even the most staunchly conservative leaders across the planet were willing to give them a lot of leeway.

Because, put frankly, Earth desperately _needed_ that help.

On the trip back to Earth from Uru, Shinobu and her friends had been thoroughly briefed by Kyech's friends Kuohu and Kyekkyek – Ataru's former girlfriend had long forgot their proper names – on what the galactic situation around their solar system was like. And it was potentially gruesome. Earth – and Neptune, home to Oyuki's people – were at a virtual choke point in space, with the territories of the Imperial Dominion of Noukiios, the Ipraedies Empire and the Seifukusu Dominion surrounding them from three sides; to their galactic "south" (or "spinward" as Kuohu had described it), there was the territory of the planet Gomiana, which formed part of an alliance of small- and medium-sized powers known as "the Galactic Federation of Planet-States." Beyond Neptune and Gomiana, members of the Federation included Uru, Fukunokami, Elle, Karasutengu, Kōmoros (home to one of Lum's rather more unique friends, the Prince of the Underworld . . . not to mention his fiancée Prim), Phentax Two (the home of the Niphentaxians) and about two dozen other such governments. And save for a tubular corridor three light-years in diameter and thirty light-years in length, there was no way a space traveller could move from Neptune (and worlds to spinward such as Gomiana and Phentax Two) to Uru, Fukunokami, Elle or Karasutengu without entering either Noukiite or Ipraedies space. Entering the former race's territory meant high passage tolls; while the Noukiites were on a friendly basis with many of the Federation worlds, they didn't like the idea of ships wandering into their space unbidden. Entering the latter's space would most likely see you killed; the Ipraedies viewed all races living on worlds around them as threats and treated them with equal contempt and loathing.

And given the ever-growing power of the Galactic Federation worlds as they sought to strengthen their alliance, the Ipraedies had decided several years ago to shatter it at its most vulnerable point: the Earth-Neptune system.

Hence, the Tag Race. The Urusians – who had always held a strong fascination for Earth – decided to literally cut the Ipraedies off at the pass by forcing an "invasion" of their own on the third planet of Sol, but coached it in a traditional game of tag to honour their sporting nature and give the Terrans a chance at beating them. Even better, the majority of Lum's people didn't want to impose themselves on Earth, so despite the war-like actions of Lum's father when he came to confront Ataru, they were actually _hoping_ they would _lose_! Which they did thanks to the lecherous beast Negako (while inside Ataru's head) helped created over the last half-decade.

_Hensō came to live with us . . . and sanity left in her wake._

And it had been quite a rocky ride for six months, especially for Miyake Shinobu, who had been dating Ataru – having gone so far as to actually promise she would marry him if he won the Tag Race! – when Hensō came into their lives. While there were the good points, there were the bad ones, such as the world oil-theft incident provoked by Hensō's so-called "Stormtroopers" – on recalling that particular incident, Shinobu often thought it amazing that people such as 'Usāmah bin Lādin didn't call a _fatwā_ demanding the death of Megane and his friends for what they did; despite what people in Tomobiki believed, the media beyond the town's borders got the story – and things like what Hensō's cousin Ten provoked, all the times Hensō's ex-fiancé Rei came by to clear out the restaurants in the town to feed his ever-empty stomach, the time Mienai's yeti-like guardian B-Boy had gone on a rampage . . .!

A sigh. _No sense in thinking of that anymore_, Shinobu mused as she parted from Reiko at the front gate of her family home before she walked inside. "Tadaima!"

"Okaeri nasai!" her mother Kimiki called back from the kitchen. "So what's happening around town? Any news about when Ataru-kun will come back?"

A shake of the head. "No, Okā-san, no news yet," Shinobu said as she slipped off her shoes in the genkan and moved to put on slippers before entering the living room, where her father Toshoba was presently relaxing and reading his newspaper. "But I found out something rather interesting about Ataru-kun today."

"What's that?" her father asked.

"He kept his diary hidden from everyone in town, including Hensō," Shinobu said as she relaxed beside the living room table, leaning back on the heels of her hands. "The diary that was in his bedroom was a fake one that he allowed to have other people find in case they wanted to pry into his private thoughts, like the one time Hensō used her time-travel machine in a way of showing how much she was concerned about him."

Her parents nodded. While they still didn't really care for their daughter's former boyfriend, they had been willing to accept what Shinobu – and also Negako – had told them about what was really going on inside Ataru's brain over the last decade and how that had come to affect everyone who associated with him. And while they understood he ultimately had done the right thing in giving Negako a chance to have her own life – to fulfil the "Promise of Bunka Go-nen" as it was called – to know that the ninjutsu grandmaster had plotted to _**kill**_ everyone in Tomobiki with a ruthless logic that bore no humanity underneath it all was quite upsetting. But nothing could be done; while she had been shuttled from mind to mind over the 202 years after her "awakening" in 1808, Negako had willingly served the Imperial Throne of Japan (in World War Two, she was designated "Imperial Special Agent 49"), so she had been granted full citizenship rights – as an _**adult**_ – on being recognised for what she was in the wake of Monday morning's rather traumatic events, at the direct order of the Prime Minister himself (thanks to the personal request of the Emperor).

"What does the real diary say?" Kimiki asked as she brought a basket full of cut fruit into the living room for the others to enjoy. "Did Negako-san say anything?"

"No, nothing specific, but she did hint at things that I wouldn't like, much less things Ataru-kun's mother wouldn't like," Shinobu said as she picked up a piece of kiwi fruit and nibbled on it. "Maybe he's been keeping track of all the times his mother's said 'I wish I never had you' or things to that effect," she then quipped.

Toshoba and Kimiki jerked, and then they exchanged a knowing look. "What do you think might happen if he does come back?" the former asked. "Will Negako-san become his legal guardian? You said that the Prime Minister's Office did arrange to have her granted adult status when they found out she was finally in her own body on Monday."

Shinobu hummed. "Probably. Then again, if Ataru-kun wants that, I suppose I can understand. His parents have been awful to him, especially after Hensō moved in." A frown turned her lips. "Not that I was better," she whispered before sighing. "All the 'I wish I never had you' tirades and all that. As a matter of fact, when we all got kidnapped to make sure Elle wouldn't try to drag Ataru-kun off to get married to her, they sucked up to Hensō's parents so they could get good jobs on Uru." A shake of the head. "He's not going to forget that, that's for sure!" she spat out. "And since he knows about his twin brother and what happened to him . . .!"

_CRASH!_

"Okā-san!" Shinobu yelped as she went into the kitchen to note that Kimiki had dropped a plate onto the floor, shattering it. "Are you alright? What's wrong?"

"I . . . " The older woman then took a deep breath. "I'm sorry! You just surprised me, talking about poor Kaeru-chan and all that . . . "

Shinobu blinked. "You know about Kaeru?"

A nod. "Hai. Most of the people who were living in town when it happened know the story, though they also pretty much keep it quiet. Who told you about that?"

A shrug. "Negako-san."

Kimiki jolted, and then she sighed. "Well, I suggest you keep quiet about that when you speak of it to your friends," she said. "It really hurt Ataru-kun's mother when he suffered his accident, not to mention what happened afterward when his body disappeared from the hospital like it did." She then paused before she stared at her daughter. "Does Ataru-kun know about all this? Did Negako-san tell him . . .?"

A nod. "Hai, she did. And from what she told me, he wasn't really impressed on hearing that. Even more, if his mother starts acting like she did when Hensō was here, he's going to use it against her to smack her back into line." Shinobu shook her head. "Can't say I really blame Ataru-kun at all. He _smiled_ when Kyech-san threatened to kill her for all the abuse she's heaped on him." A sigh. "Anyhow, I'm going to do my homework since school's back on tomorrow. Call me when dinner's ready, okay?"

Kimiki nodded as her daughter went off, and then she shook her head . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, Wednesday 3 March, morning . . .

"Geez! These guys are still here?"

"You blame them, man?"

A sigh. "Nah," Aisuru Satoshi – "Megane" to all his friends – breathed out as he gazed on the gathering of reporters standing near the school's front gates. The world media had flocked to Tomobiki in the wake of Monday, learning of things that had sent shockwaves all over the planet, even more intensive than what the Tag Race produced. On speaking to one of the CNN reporters about what happened over the last couple of months – especially the last few days – Megane had been surprised to learn of things that he hadn't been able to learn from Negako, much less any of the seven hundred Terran-form Avalonians whose presence had been confirmed in the wake of the removal of their former masters from the town. "With the Avalonians coming into the system after they got free of the Niphentaxians, people want to know what's going to happen, especially now that the Noukiites have left." The last group of Imperial Marines had departed from Earth overnight, as they had promised on Monday when their leaders had met the town's leadership here at Tomobiki High School when the revelations about the Niphentaxians had been made. "Is it going to be as bad as when Hensō was here? Is it going to be better? Since he was involved, Ataru would probably know these things. Do you think that they'd want to talk to Negako-san about it?"

Hearing the name of the ninjutsu grandmaster who was now legally Ataru's adopted elder sister, the other three core members of Lum's Stormtroopers shook their heads. "Nah!" Shitto Kōsuke – "Perm" – said with a laugh. "I mean, she tells the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth . . . but she comes off really cold at times. Even colder than Mr. Spock was on _Star Trek_. Who'd want to talk to _that_?"

"Good point," Daremo Hiroyuki – "Kakugari" – mused, nodding. "Still, I hope the guy's alright. Even if he doesn't really care for many people here . . . "

"Hey, look!"

They perked on hearing Urayamu Akira – "Chibi" – call out, and then they glanced down a side street. "Well, I'll be damned!" Megane then said before he waved. "Yo, Ataru!" he called out, thus getting the reporters' attention.

Walking up from the direction of the Moroboshi home was Moroboshi Ataru, dressed in his normal blue gakuran, the top buttons undone to reveal the white button shirt he had on underneath; as he wasn't a stickler for the dress code, Ataru never buttoned things up like others did. Gazing at their classmate, the Stormtroopers were quick to notice one thing about Ataru: his walk. Instead of the prancing gait he normally used, Ataru was walking like a normal person, acting as if he was some type of army cadet from those nations that had that particular type of youth program. He seemed relaxed, nothing like the flirtatious man he had been just two months ago. But given what had been happening to him at the time, such a change was understandable. And if what the Dragonspeaker had said about an incident a week after the attempted wedding at a place called "Morningstar Plain" was anywhere CLOSE to the truth . . .!

"Holy shit!" Perm then gasped. "Am I seeing things?"

Megane perked. "What?"

"Who're those two girls walking with him?" Kakugari asked, pointing.

Megane looked . . . and then his jaw dropped on seeing the pretty girls in proper Tomobiki High seifuku on either side of Ataru. Both wearing orange tiger-striped ties – ironically, that colour and pattern combination was the accepted clan colours for Ataru's family – with their uniforms, they looked like Ataru (save for the understandable differences). And both seemed as calm and relaxed as their . . . _Twin brother?_ Megane wondered as he then recalled what Nengmek'i addressed Ataru as back at Onishuto. "'Ye of Four Souls,'" he quoted. "We're about to meet the other two souls."

The other Stormtroopers blinked as they took that in, and then Chibi hummed. "Well, one of those souls was called 'Liú Hóng' by Nengmek'i-sama . . . and the other one was said to actually be PART of Ataru before Negako-san got fired into his head."

"Like the time Ataru got split into twins thanks to Hensō's candy and Cherry's curse-removal cake?" Kakugari then wondered.

"Probably," Perm stated as Ataru gazed their way, and then he waved. "Yo!"

"Ohayō!" Ataru said as he walked up to them.

"Ohayō, guys!" the girl to Ataru's left said, her lips turning into one of Ataru's normal lanky smiles. "How're you guys doing these days?"

"As expected given what we learned back in Onishuto," Megane said, and then he blinked before he stared intently at her for a moment.

Her eyebrow arched, and then she reached over to squeeze his nose, which made him jerk. "Yo, 'Toshi! I know I'm cute, but don't stare. It's not polite."

"Oh, Onē-san, stop that!" the other girl then scolded as she stared at her twin. "This is going to be difficult enough for everyone to accept! You don't need to make them feel even more awkward about it!" As her twin stuck out her tongue at her, she then walked up to gently kiss Megane on the cheek, which made him turn totally red in shock. "Ohayō gozaimashita, Satoshi-san." She then delivered kisses to the cheeks of the other Stormtroopers, which made them also turn the shade of cherries. "Akira-san. Kōsuke-san. Hiroyuki-san. I hope things have calmed down since last we were here."

"And sharing one body," her twin said as she patted Ataru's shoulder.

"Not to mention doing all sorts of weird things," Ataru said before he looked as the reporters came their way. "Ah, the press. Onē-san warned us they were in town." With that, he walked over to greet them. "Ohayō, everyone." A quick check to his watch indicated it was still about twenty minutes to the first bell. "I've got time to answer some questions, but if you stick around for lunch and after school, I'll be happy to answer more." As the reporters all laughed at his show of politeness, he then pointed to the NHK reporter that was there. "Sakurayama-sensei, you first."

"How does it feel to be back home and free from Hensō and all her friends, Ataru-kun?" Sakurayama Momoko then asked with a smile.

"Well, I'm sure that all my classmates have been more than happy to regale you all with the story of what happened to Lum and Hensō – not to mention Benten-san, Oyuki-sama and Ran-chan and their replicas as well – five years ago on the Home Base asteroid thanks to a very ugly magical curse inflicted on Lum when she was just days old . . . not to mention what Ōgi did to keep the Avalonians secret from the galaxy at large," he said, and then he sighed. "There's always a good and bad side to things. The good side is that hopefully, from this point on, weird things that seemed to love to strike this town will either be eliminated or kept to a dull roar." As people laughed, he sighed. "The bad side is this: I love Hensō and I will always have a place for her in my heart. Regrettably, her parents still do NOT accept what happened to their real daughter, thus Lum is forced to remain in exile on the planet Okusei. Fortunately for her, she has a lovely wife and many wonderful friends who are there to support her, as do the others affected by the Lady Zōju's curse. As for those who came in Hensō's wake after the Tag Race, hopefully we'll never see them again. I have, as you all might be well aware, declared under my rights in the Tag Race Treaty that no Urusian can come to Earth for the next two hundred years . . . or when their people as a whole demonstrate much more mature behaviour when it comes to interacting with our own people. That was necessary, both for our sake and theirs. Maybe they'll learn something out of this." A sigh. "I doubt it. Mister Grant, your turn."

"Your sister Negako – when she briefed us on Monday afternoon after she and the Noukiites removed the Niphentaxian agents from Tomobiki and the surrounding towns – stated you were considering returning all the awards you were given in the wake of the Tag Race for your victory over Hensō several months ago," Stan Grant stated. "Do you still intend to do that, sir? And if you are, why are you doing this?"

"I am," Ataru stated. "To answer your second question, it's simple." An embarrassed smirk then crossed his face. "Folks, eight months ago, what happened then was the result of a bunch of sixteen- and seventeen-year old kids thinking more with their hormones instead of their heads. Regardless of what my mental state was like back then, I was as guilty as anyone else involved in that situation, even Hensō." As laughter filled the crowd around him – which had now been augmented by the two female twins of Earth's tag race champion, the Stormtroopers and other students – he then shrugged. "Put simply, when I fully came to realise what truly had happened in the wake of the Tag Race and my so-called 'marriage' with Hensō, I realised then that I had NOT saved Earth. In some ways, I put Earth in far greater danger that has been faced by the human race since the Second World War. I can't live with that, so over the next few days, the medals and decorations – the Order of the Rising Sun here from Japan, the Presidential Medal of Freedom from the United States, the Companionship of the Order of Canada, the Officer-ship of the Order of the British Empire, the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit from South Korea among others – will be personally returned back by me either to the government here in Japan or to the ambassadors of the several nations who saw fit to decorate me. Atop that, all monetary awards that were given to me will be returned." A shrug. "I never deserved them, so why keep them?"

"Would you accept future awards?" a German reporter from ZDF television asked.

"_Nein!_" Ataru answered in German, and then he continued in Japanese, "In experiencing what I went through these last two months, I was made to learn many of the customs and traditions of my family. The primary one is this: Those of my family do NOT ever accept rewards such as medals, decorations or the like from anyone else, not even the Heavenly Sovereign himself. Traditionally, we've been a ninja family. Ninja, for those of you who haven't seen action or drama movies about them, operate from the shadows. We are the Unseen Ones who act to protect others when open forces such as samurai or police can't act. We don't acknowledge or accept rewards for simply doing our jobs. I intend to live that sort of life from now on." He winked. "'Sides, what the hell would I do with all that money?" he then asked in a whisper.

More laughter from the crowd. "Moroboshi-ssi, what do you believe should happen to the Avalonians?" a South Korean reporter from KBS1 then asked. "Given that – according to the briefing Otako Meinyak-daet'ongnyŏng gave the media on Tuesday afternoon in New York City – there are over TWO BILLION of them on that factory ship of theirs, would you advocate resettlement on Earth? And if not, where would you tell them to go?"

"First of all, Sŏnsaeng-nim, I will NEVER tell an Avalonian anything she doesn't want to agree with," Ataru said, his face turning into a mask of fury that made his schoolmates step back in shock. "After what they went through thanks to the Niphentaxians, that's the _last_ thing they need." He blinked as one of his twins – the one with the magatama earring who had kissed the cheeks of the Stormtroopers – squeezed his shoulder. "Arigatō, Hiromi," he said before taking a deep breath, and then he relaxed. "Personally, there are many of those people who want to come live here. The Niphentaxians, despite their clearly obvious problems, have been as fascinated by Earth for almost as long as the Urusians have. That was transmitted to the Avalonians. However, I also know the population of this world is about to hit the seven billion mark very soon. We're potentially facing several crises when it comes to making sure all those people have food and water, not to mention all the other basic necessities of life.

"To that end, I can say this: Otako-san told me she will support all efforts to terraform Mars as quickly as possible to allow both Terrans and Avalonians to live there if they so choose. Venus is another potential possibility. Atop that, there are at least thirty Class M worlds – to borrow the term from _Star Trek_ – like Earth all in close range of us. Currently, they're under the control of the Seifukusu Dominion, but I think with some honest negotiating and a promise of never joining the Galactic Federation, they might be amicable towards letting us have those worlds for settlement. But that's for the Men in Black to possibly pursue in the future, so I won't say more."

"Aren't there people living on those planets?" a French reporter from TF1 asked.

"Small military garrisons, M'sieur. At most, ten thousand per planet," Hiromi answered.

"Aren't they planning to settle them more?" a BBC reporter asked.

"They've been planning it for five centuries, but nothing's ever happened," Ataru replied.

Nods around the crowd, and then everyone perked on hearing a bell ring off. "That's the warning bell, Ataru!" Megane then called out.

A sigh. "Forgive me, but right now, school beckons and I'll have to face the wrath of a few teachers for missing out on two months of work," Ataru said with a bow. As the reporters laughed, he winked. "So if you don't mind heading to Okonomiyaki Nippon, I'll be there at lunch to answer some more questions. I'll see you later."

"Oi, Ataru! What about the Secret Peer Guidance Committee?" Perm asked.

Ataru snorted. "What about them, Perm?"

Hearing THAT, everyone blinked, and then whooped with delight before they gave their returned classmate a banzai cheer as they headed inside . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The girls mentioned in the teaser, Tomomi and Satomi, are **Yoshino Tomomi** and **Fujiki Sayuri**, two of the characters from the adult visual novel series _Zenkoku Seifuku Bishōjo Grand Prix_, created by Lyceen in the mid-1990s. Not a popular series in comparison to _Tokimeki Memorial_, _Sentimental Graffiti_ or _Sister Princess_, _Grand Prix_ eventually inspired the video game _Find Love_, in which Tomomi was a prominent character; in the playoffs for _Grand Prix_ as depicted in the first _Find Love_, Tomomi came in second after **Ikusawa Kyōko** (whose equivalent in this story would bond with Tendō [later Miyamoto] Nabiki in _Phoenix From the Ashes_).

2) In this story, the word **dataPADD** means "**data** **P**ersonal **A**rchival **D**isplay **D**evice."

3) Ch'esyuk is based on the _Koihime Musō_ version of Ryūbi Gentoku (also known as "Tōka"). Kyech is based on the _KM_ version of Ryofu Hōsen (or "Ren"). To get the names, I used my Korean-to-Noukiite character encoding system that I developed for _Urusei Yatsura - The Senior Year_, which normally works as follows:

**CONSONANTS**: K/G=NG, N=CH/J, T/D=CH', R=P', M=T', P/B=K', S=H. When NG falls before a vowel, it is silent (as in Korean). Mid-syllable sounds G, J, D and B are not used in common Noukiite.**  
DOUBLE CONSONANTS**: KK=NG, TT=CH', PP=K', SS=H, JJ=N**  
MULTI-CONSONANT SYLLABIC END SOUNDS**: KS=H, NJ=CH', NH=S, LG=K', LM=T', LB=P', LS=K, LT=CH, LP'=P, LH=N, PS=M.**  
VOWELS**: A=U, E=O. I and Y stay the same. The different types of O (O and Ŏ) and U (U and Ŭ) do not matter in this case.**  
DIPTHONGS**: AE=UO (WO), OI=EI, OA (WA)=EU, OAE (WAE)=EUO, UI=AI, UE=AO

"Ryūbi Gentoku" as written with the direct transliteration of the Chinese characters 劉備玄德 in Korean is "류비현덕" (Ryubi Hyŏndŏk), thus such would become "P'yak'i Syechch'eng" using the encoding system above. From that, I added the caste prefix title "Seu-" (for "Seup'uk" [the blooming youth"]) before the family name "P'ya," the birth/gender prefix title "Yesu-" (a combination of "ye" [woman] and the first syllable of "sucha" [one/first]) before the given name "K'i," and the style name prefix "Hechnich'" (for "Hechnich'kye," meaning "sacred true bone lady/lord") before the style name "Syechch'eng." Her proper name is **Seu-P'ya Yesu-K'i Hechnich'-Syechch'eng**. The childhood name "Tōka" is written 桃香 in kanji, read "도향" (Tohyang) in Korean, and becomes **Ch'esyuk** in Noukiite.

Likewise, "Ryofu Hōsen" (呂布奉先) is read "려포봉선" (Ryŏp'o Pongsŏn) in Korean, thus becomes "P'yere K'ekhech" in Noukiite. Thus, with the add-ons noted above, the Dragonspeaker's proper name is **Seu-P'ye Yesu-Re Hechnich'-K'ekhech**. The childhood name "Ren" is written 恋 in kanji, read "연" (Yŏn) in Korean, which becomes **Kyech** in Noukiite.

4) **K'uongno** is the southwest of Noukiios' classical Three Kingdoms; it once covered the western side of the southern continent of the planet. It is an analogue of the Korean kingdom of **Paekche** (백제/百済) or the Chinese kingdom of **Shǔ Hàn**.

5) **Kak'** is the Noukiite word for "town," which was transliterated from the Korean "ŭp" (읍/邑). Tomobiki in Japanese is addressed as "Tomobiki-chō." The kanji for "chō" is 町, which is much different than what the Koreans use.

6) **Ganzo dai-Louc**, as I wrote in the notes for _Phoenix From the Ashes_, is the Niphentaxian analogue of the famous American abolitionist (and in the eyes of some, the father of American terrorism), **John Brown** (1800-59).

7) The suffix **-yu** is a Noukiite term of endearment that is applied to names ending in vowels, i.e. "Hiromi-yu." The suffix ending used for consonant-ending names is **-u**.

8) The title **Maidens of the World of Holy Reincarnation** (in Noukiite, _Techye Hichheksuch Seuchhoukhek_, **Techye Hisehek** in short) is the Noukiite term applied to the _Daishi'cha_ ("Great First Mothers") of the planet Sagussa, which Ataru (who would be addressed as the **King of the World of Holy Reincarnation** or _Euk Hichheksuch Seuchhoukhek_, shortened to **Euk Hisehek**) would become the head-of-state (_Daite'cha_ or "First Above All") for in the "Great Father Ataru" storyline in _The Senior Year_. As the Noukiites are traditionally firm believers in reincarnation, the story about the _Daishi'cha_ and how they were restored to life resonated deeply within them.

9) The title **Most Venerable** in Noukiite culture is the title used to convey the most respect onto someone; it's normally used for deceased high clerics. Given Negako's normal hatred of using titles (as people will remember from her "Don't call me 'sensei!'" tirades), being addressed as THAT is quite annoying to her.

10) The **Tsar Bomb** (in Russian, Царь-бомба) was the AN602 hydrogen bomb that was developed and dropped by the Soviet Union on a test site on Novaya Zemlya on 30 October 1961. The bomb was also addressed with the phrase "Kuz'kina Mat" (Кузькина мать), which means "Kuzka's mother" and implied something that had not been seen before. The yield of the blast, which had been originally planned to be about 100 megatons (420 petajoules), was reduced to 50 megatons (210 petajoules) in the final device.

11) The name of the planet Ch'esyuk serves as governor of, **Tengsei**, was derived from the Noukiite transliteration of the Korean "촉" (ch'ok), which is the reading of the hànzì 蜀 (shǔ). The proper name in Noukiite is _Teng-ch'ehek_ ("Planet-Province of Teng"). Urusians (it was a member of that race that first discovered the world) call it **Jiy****ū**. In _The Senior Year_, the planet was a Zephyrite colony world.

12) Shinobu's being a Roman Catholic was derived from a side story to _The Senior Year_ written by Phil Gavigan, "Shinobu - Futures Imperfect." In the universe of _TSY_, I have the Miyake family come from Kagoshima on Kyūshū.

13) **Aniki** is a semi-formal way of addressing one's older brother in Japan.

14) **Persona non grata** is Latin for "an unacceptable person." In normal usage, this is the highest legal censure a country can employ against diplomats of another country.

15) The **Seifukusu Dominion** and the **Ipraedies Empire** are two of the "rogue states" that appeared in _The Senior Year_. The former power (which is located in-spin from Earth) once occupied all space out to Vos, including Neptune and Uru. The latter power (which is out-spin from Earth) is a more recent power that once fought a losing war against the Vosians a century ago. Seifukusu are humanoids with blue skin colour. Ipraedies are green-skinned humanoids. In the background story to _TSY_, Ipraedies interest in Earth ultimately provoked the Tag Race between Ataru and Lum.

16) **Inu Chigaiko** is a character from _The Senior Year_; she first appeared in the story "Darling's Secret Date" and came literally back to life in the side-story "Children of Eternity." Ataru's twin brother **Moroboshi Kaeru** appeared in the special story "My Darlings United;" in that story, it was discovered that when he was dying after a tragic accident, Kaeru was taken away by two citizens of the planet Nagussa and healed there, thus getting a life for himself amongst them. **Otako Meinyak** (the Avalonian replica of her) appeared in the special story "What Price For Love?"; this is the story where I first introduced the Niphentaxians and the Avalonians. The Noukiites themselves first appeared in "Arrive Reiko-chan."

17) Ten-chan's making a swallow grow to rather enormous size was depicted in the manga story "Ms Swallow and Ms Penguin" (manga story #82). The Oni adversion to garlic was shown in the manga story "Down For The Count" (manga story #101). The **Red Cloak** appeared in the manga story of the same name (manga story #41); his real name and the curse that eventually affects Chigaiko are my invention. The **Prince of the Underworld** and **Prim** appeared in the manga storyline "Deranged Marriage" (manga stories #87-90).

18) **Kuohu** and **Kyekkyek** are based on the _Koihime Mus__ō_ versions of Kan'u Unchō (Aisha) and Chōhi Yokutoku (Rinrin). The former's proper name is **Seu-Euch Yesu-A Hechnich'-Kachnuk**. The latter's proper name is **Seu-Nuk Yesu-K'i Hechnich'-Kingch'eng**. As with Aisha, Kuohu is known throughout Noukiite space as the "Black-Haired Bandit Slayer."

19) A **fatw****ā** is a juristic ruling concerning Islamic law. It's most famous application was when Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini of Iran (1902-89) judged the writer Salman Rushdie (born 1947) as having insulted the memory of the Prophet Mohammed in his novel _The Satantic Verses_ in a radio broadcast on 14 February 1989. Because of that, the concept of a fatwā is often mistaken by non-Muslims as a death sentence.

20) The phrase **Bunka Go-nen** (in kanji, 文化五年) is used to refer to the year 1808 C.E.

21) The lament of Ataru's mother Moroboshi Kinshō "I wish I never had you!" is something she has said many times in _Urusei Yatsura_; this normally stems from her frustration and embarrassment when it comes to all the weird things that happens around Ataru. Having been the victim of child abuse myself, when I was introduced to the character by Mike Smith in the early 1990s, I felt such tirades were ultimately no different than what Fujinami Ryūnosuke suffers at the hands of her father, much less what Ran went through at the hands of her mother when she was a child. This prompted the story plotline in _The Senior Year_ where Ataru finally grew tired of his mother's verbal abuse and leave once and for all . . . which, deep down, Kinshō fears all else.

22) The given names for Megane, Chibi, Perm and Kakugari have appeared on Japanese _Yatsura_ fan websites. Their family names are my invention.

23) The Korean honorific **-ssi** is the equivalent of the Japanese "-san." The Korean term **sŏnsaeng-nim** is the equivalent of the Japanese term "sensei," but also incorporates the honorific **-nim**, which is the Korean equivalent to the Japanese "-sama." The word **taet'ongnyŏng** (or "-daet'ongnyŏng" when used as a suffix title to a person's name) is the Korean term for an elected president.


	2. The Filial and Unattentive Tōshi

Class 1-4, first morning period . . .

"My name is Moroboshi Tariko. Yoroshiku."

"And I am Moroboshi Hiromi. Yoroshiku onegaishimashita, minna-san."

"Oh, gods! There's FOUR of them . . .!"

_KLONK!_

"QUIET!" Onsen Mark snapped after belting one of the men with a brush. "You were there in Onishuto when the Lady K'ekhech and Lord Nengmek'i came and revealed what was happening with Moroboshi-kun! You ALSO were there when Negako-san explained everything after those damned alien spies and that cobalt bomb were taken away! So quit acting like the world's about to end and accept what's going on!" He sighed as he stared at Ataru's new sisters. "Would you two at least indicate for everyone's benefit as to who exactly you were when Lord Nengmek'i identified you back on Uru, ladies?"

"Certainly, Onsen-sensei," Hiromi stated. "I was the one Nengmek'i-sama identified as 'Liú Hóng' when he and Kyech-san were so nice to come to put a stop to that farce and reveal what truthfully happened to Lum-san and her friends. For your information, in my first life, I was born in the village of Jiědú near Luòyáng in China – you would say the name 'Rakuyō' in Japan – in the twenty-fifth year of the reign of the Seimu Emperor; the Western year 156 C.E. for those who don't know what year that was. I died two years prior to the Seimu Emperor's passing through the _Te'a_; the year in the West was 189 C.E. But for some reason, my soul – or a copy of same; I cannot confirm nor deny either, nor really can Onē-sama in this case – was trapped in this earring I am now wearing . . . " – she pointed to the silver magatama-shaped earring hanging off her left lobe – " . . . for 1,811 years until Onii-san found it and began carrying it on his person as a 'good luck charm.' As this was shortly after Onē-sama's soul was inserted into his brain, my presence helped fully fracture his own soul, thus allowing Onē-san here to come into existence." She waved to Tariko.

"Holy shit! You're a TŌSHI?"

Gasps filled the room. "What is a 'tōshi,' Kōsuke-san?" Hiromi asked.

Perm blinked. "Don't you know?"

A shake of the head. "No. Then again, it is to be expected."

"After all, if it wasn't female and beautiful, we never really cared for it," Tariko dryly added as she rolled her eyes.

"Hai, unfortunately true," Hiromi said as she smiled at Tariko. "So please, Kōsuke-san, tell us: What exactly are these tōshi?"

"Well, they're martial artists like Negako-san is," Perm said. "Pretty good ones, some probably as good as Negako-san herself is. They all say they're influenced by the souls of the great warriors of the last part of the Gokan Dynasty and the start of the Three Kingdoms period. There was a book written about it by some guy in China back in the fourteenth century . . . " He hummed. "What was it called again?"

"_The Romance of the Three Kingdoms_, by Luó Guànzhōng. He's referred to here by the local reading to his name, Perm-san: 'Ra Kanchū,'" Mendō Shūtarō provided.

"Ah, my eternal thanks, Shūtarō-san."

As Hiromi smiled at him, the scion of Japan's richest family felt his cheeks redden in surprise at her show of courtesy. "Um, y-y-you're welcome, Hiromi-san!"

Tariko laughed. "Oi, quit hitting on the poor guy, Hiromi! He's got enough girls chasing after him in this town, remember?" she then warned.

"True, Onē-san. Indeed, one must admire our peers' exceptional good taste."

Most of the girls in the room – the clear exceptions were Inu Chigaiko and Tsuruya Rumiko (the only declared lesbian of the class) – all blushed as Mendō's own cheeks reddened even more. "HIROMI-SAN!" he sputtered out in embarrassment.

The guys all laughed. "Oi, Tariko-chan, how about you?" one of them asked.

Tariko smirked. "Well, I don't know how many of you might remember this, but back before Shūtarō parachuted into our lives, we were once given a lollypop by Hensō. Of course, as many of you will no doubt know, Oni food is quite too spicy for Terrans to take, so we ran off and ate a cake Cherry made, in which he was trying to force the evils of the world into it so he could bury it. That split our physical body in half."

"While one must admire the Venerable Sakurambō for his truly gallant effort, he regrettably failed in his execution," Hiromi cut in. "The part of our joined conscious that did not act so lecherous was in fact Onē-san here being allowed to express herself as a separate person for the first time," she then said as she waved to Tariko.

Shinobu perked. "I was the one in the 'driver's seat,' so to speak, when we used the Psychic Kusarigama to yank Hensō down so we could smash her in the nose, knock her horns off her head and crush them to 'divorce' her," Tariko added. "And for those of you who might be scared that she could use that as an excuse to come back, remember what Lum said: A tag in a _Tag Race_ does not equal a _marriage_ tag, so there never WAS a marriage between Ataru and Hensō. She has no excuse to override Ataru's decision about her people and try to come back here. And if she does, she goes back a _corpse_!"

People in the room all winced on hearing that dire threat. "Or gets her soul slammed back into an Avalonian body," Ataru added to lighten things up.

"Do we really wish to do that, Onii-san?" Hiromi asked.

He sighed. "Hiromi, she's as much a victim of that curse as Lum is."

Hiromi blinked, and then she nodded. "Hai, true."

The guys all stared at Hensō's former husband in surprise, clearly stunned to hear those words from him in the wake of what he – or Tariko? – had done to their once-favourite classmate in Onishuto. The girls were staring at Ataru with a curiosity they never expressed towards him before. "Where do we park ourselves?" Tariko asked.

"Hiromi-kun, you can sit down beside Inu-kun. As for yourself, Tariko-kun, you can take Hensō's old seat beside your brother," Onsen bade.

Tariko blinked. "Can I sterilise it first?"

People gaped at her, and then laughter filled the room . . .

* * *

Morning study hall . . .

"Eh? You were actually the REITEI Emperor?"

"So I am called here," Hiromi admitted as she and the other girls all relaxed around one of the tables in the school library. Tariko and Ataru were busy chatting with all the guys at a nearby table. "When I died, I was given the posthumous name 'Xiàolíng;' 'Kyōrei' is how the characters would be read in Japanese here." She sketched out the two characters in question in her notebook. "And it is befitting."

"You're being hard on yourself, aren't you?" Marubeya Momoe noted.

"Momoe-san, why shouldn't I be? I lost the Mandate of Heaven, spent more time with my concubines than seeing to matters of state, never reacted to the increase of taxes the Attendants pushed onto people that caused a massive increase of poverty, never even BLINKED when the Yellow Turbans rose in rebellion in answer to that . . . " A shake of the head as her eyes teared. "I deserved being imprisoned in the magatama for what happened." She then shook her head. "But not everyone else from back then."

"Hey! Dry up the tears, Hiromi-chan!" Gekasawa Kumiko, Momoe's best friend, then urged as she wiped the wetness from the other girl's head. "All that happened eighteen centuries ago. You have a new life for yourself now. And even more so, you're not stuck fighting this weird 'fate' other tōshi face. Don't worry about it."

Hiromi perked. "'Fate?' What fate, Kumiko-san?"

"Many tōshi – or so I've read in various local martial arts publications – believe that it's their fate to relive the lives of their past-selves from the Three Kingdoms period," Rumiko explained. "It's led to some pretty vicious fights between the Seven Schools; they're the main tōshi schools all throughout Kantō." She then perked before looking over. "Hey, Hideyuki-kun! You got those magazines?"

A somewhat-handsome fellow perked, and then he nodded. "Yeah, got them here!" Mifune Hideyuki – he had been one of Hensō's more ardent fans when she was here, though he had found it easier to recover from the revelations about her than Megane and his friends had over the last couple of months – said as he reached into his book bag and pulled out a small pile of magazines to hand over to his classmate. "Here you go!"

"Dōmo," Rumiko said as she took one, scanned it, and then she handed it over.

Hiromi took it. "'_Exotic Marital Arts Monthly_?'" she quoted the title, and then she frowned. "What on Earth is this? Some odd version of _Playboy_?"

The other girls looked. "Yeah, it does feel like that, doesn't it?" Shinobu said with a frown. "Who's this girl, anyway . . .?" she then asked.

Hiromi opened the magazine up to find the front picture credits. "'Ryofu Hōsen,'" she read, and then nodded. "Ah, Lord Fèngxiān! My, that's a change!"

"She's said to be the best fighter in all of Kantō," Momoe provided, calling on information a friend from Nerima had given her since she was also investigating the tōshi on behalf of her younger sister. "Considered 'A-rank' among her peers; that's marked by the colour of the magatama." She glanced at Hiromi's ear. "Which you are."

"How is the ranking determined?" Hiromi asked.

"By the amount of fights and how varied the fights are. Not to mention the overall skill and the amount of training you have," Hideyuki then said as he looked over from the boys' table. "There's an annual contest called the 'Great Fighters Tournament.' It's run every year, just before summer vacation starts up. Hey, maybe you can enter into it, Hiromi-chan. You're a tōshi, so you'd be allowed in easy."

"Not from what I've heard, Hideyuki-kun," Momoe said with a shake of her head. "You have to be either a student at one of the Seven Schools – Rakuyō here in Tōkyō, Nan'yō in Chiba, Kyoshō in Kanagawa, Seito in Saitama, Yoshū in Tochigi, Gogun in Gunma or Yōshū in Ibaraki – or one of the affiliated schools to join in. Tomobiki High's not considered on that list, so Hiromi-chan would be disqualified."

"Would she?" Shinobu asked. "After all, she was their emperor . . . "

"Was I really?"

Eyes locked on Hiromi. "Maybe she wouldn't belong," Chigaiko then mused.

"What do you mean, Chigaiko-san?" Rumiko asked.

"Because she uses her real name and not a battle name," the former basketball player stated. "My older sister Fuchiko knows about them. They don't use their birth names, but the Japanese reading of their past-selves' names and style names." She then hummed. "Well, her real name back then would be read 'Ryūkō' here in Japan."

"I did not possess a style name; something like that wasn't given to me before I was made Emperor," Hiromi noted, and then she hummed. "Still . . . "

"Still what, Hiromi-chan?" Shinobu prodded.

"I could use my posthumous name."

Silence fell as the girls considered that, and then Momoe nodded. "'Ryūkō Kyōrei,'" she quoted. "Hey, that has a ring to it!"

"And it shows you're not your past-self," Kumiko added.

Hiromi hummed. "Ryūkō Kyōrei . . . "

* * *

"You're not going to allow Hiromi-san to be swept into that madness, are you?"

Ataru blinked as he scanned through one of Hideyuki's magazines, and then he smirked. "Something you don't know about my family Art, Mendō," he said as he gazed on Mendō. "Back before she awoke in 1808, Onē-san was used to hunt down potential rebels that rose up against the Shōgun. Onē-san confirmed she did fight and kill off some of the past-selves of Hiromi's friends from China; where the heck do you think she got the nickname 'Black Death of the Marital Arts' from?" A shake of the head as he gazed in admiration at a picture of the dusky-skinned woman identified as "Kan'u Unchō," a sophomore from Seito High School in Chichibu ranked "super A-rank" due to her versatile fighting style, both unarmed and with the Blue Dragon Crescent Blade (also known as the "Frost Fair Blade") guāndāo. "Damn! Now _that_ is one hot little number there . . .!"

Tariko leaned over to look. "Yeah. Kuohu's got a lot more class, though."

The other guys looked. "Hey, that's the same type of blade Kuohu-san has!" Hideyuki then stated. "Damn! How Trekkie can you get? First, we bump into real honest-to-goodness _Oni_ of all things, not to mention the Seven Lucky Gods . . .!"

"And now we see comparisons between Noukiios' early history and China's," Megane noted as he took the magazine from Ataru and scanned the picture there before showing it to his friends. "Who'd you think would win? Kan'u-san or Kuohu-san?"

"Hands down, Kuohu," Ataru stated. "She's been hunting bandits over a dozen planets in the Outmarches since she was fifteen. Her record doesn't come close to what Kyech did at Morningstar Plain, but it's pretty high up there. This Kan'u might be good, but if she's been fighting the same people time and time again, she'll be getting stale and predictable. That's the worst thing that can happen to someone."

"I thought you didn't care for that sort of thing," Chibi noted.

"I don't, but I'm not ignorant of it either," Ataru admitted.

The other guys and Tariko all nodded. "So what's this about you going out to one of the restaurants at lunchtime, Moroboshi?" Mendō then demanded.

"Shūtarō, give it a rest for once," Tariko stated. "You don't need to prove yourselves to the teachers anymore; they know what sort of good guy you are." As Mendō gave her a surprised look and the other boys all gaped at her words, she relaxed in her chair. "'Sides, those reporters aren't going to vanish; they're here for stories. Better to deal with them now instead of having them show up at home tonight."

"Yeah, not that things are already a little dicey at home."

Eyes locked on Ataru. "How are your parents?" Kakugari asked.

"Oh, they're being their usual selves when they're just around me," Ataru admitted. "They're pretty shocked at Hiromi and Tariko, but I don't think that'll last. And they're just too damned scared of Onē-san to try anything against her."

"Are you considering leaving the house?" Megane asked; while he had never really sat back and thought about what was going on in the Moroboshi home when Hensō had been living there, he had overheard Moroboshi Kinshō often lament "I wish I never had you!" and other such things to her son whenever he visited the place. And thinking about it now, it _was_ pretty raw of the woman to do that to her only living child.

"The temptation is there; Onē-san's going to spend spare time scouting places where we could move if we have to," Ataru admitted, and then he smirked. "And now that I've got my _real_ diary in the open, I can threaten her with telling the news media about all the things she's said to me in the past. She won't like that."

"What's the count right now?" Tariko asked.

"Two thousand, two hundred and six."

The boys all blinked. "What's the count for?" Perm asked.

"The amount of times Baka Kā-san has said 'I wish I never had you' to me. Or words to similar effect. And that count's been ongoing since Onē-san got inserted into my head when I was six," Ataru said as he gazed passively at his classmate.

"Damn!" Hideyuki breathed out.

"She has her good points, but these days, we're hard-pressed to think of what they are," Tariko added. "You guys know about Kaeru, right?" As the others nodded, she shrugged. "He's been dead for fourteen years. Tō-san and Kā-san haven't gotten over him. Atop that, he _**was**_ the favoured child! Not us." She pointed to herself, and then Ataru. "We can understand grief – especially since the body vanished and no one knows what happened – but we can't understand FOURTEEN YEARS of swinging from being supportive of us to wishing we were never born and trying to sell us off!" She then gazed at Ataru. "Pity that before Baka Kā-san could get her hands on it, Reigi was so nice to seal off all access to any trust funds set up for us by Obā-chan or Oji-chan."

"Yeah, pity," Ataru said.

Mendō jolted. "WHAT? You mean to say that she's been trying to steal your INHERITANCE, Tariko-san? That's OUTRAGEOUS! Why would she do that?"

"What do you think? Don't you remember what she pulled on your mom back at Parent-Teacher Day last year?" Ataru said, and then he sighed. "You know, Mendō, I may not like you, but I will say you've got things going for you that I'll never have."

The richest high school student in Japan gaped. "Eh?"

"At least you've got a loving family, even if your sister is kinda out there at times and your mom's too afraid of technology to visit the school via limousine when Parent-Teacher Day comes around," Tariko noted. "We really can't claim that."

"Well, that's not true anymore," Megane noted.

Ataru and Tariko blinked, and then they exchanged a look before they gazed on Hiromi, who was chatting away with the girls. "Good point, 'Toshi," Tariko said . . .

* * *

Shinjuku, Marubishi and Company, that moment . . .

"Ah, Moroboshi-kun! There you are!"

Moroboshi Muchi perked on hearing that voice, and then he turned as one of his superiors came up to him in his private work cubicle on one of the upper floors of the telecommunications company he had worked as a salaryman for since he graduated from university shortly after Ataru was born. "Is there a problem, Asagaya-kachō?"

Asagaya Hisayo smiled. "Oh, nothing much. Other than you must be very proud of your son at this time. Didn't you hear the news earlier?"

Muchi blinked. While he had rarely been bothered about Ataru while he was at work, the times he was asked about his son had always been harsh ones, especially after the world oil-theft incident. Thus his surprise on noting the delighted smile on his superior's face; the last time he had seen that was the end of the Tag Race eight months before. "Um, no, not really. We're still getting over the shock of finding out that we have two daughters now atop our son." Though Negako's body was also cloned from Ataru's DNA, Muchi didn't consider the ninjutsu grandmaster his daughter; she was far too mature for that. "What exactly did you see, anyway?" he then asked.

"Well, if you don't know, Ataru-kun's going to be returning all the medals and decorations he received because of the Tag Race," Hisayo stated. "He felt that given what he learned about that Oni girl, he didn't deserve those medals, so he'll be sending them back. All the monetary rewards as well. That was quite something."

Muchi blinked, and then he chuckled. "Well, it has been two months since we last saw him; he just got back late last night and I didn't get a chance to . . . "

It hit him.

"Wait! Even the money, too?"

"Of course," Hisayo said. "All of it's going back!" A smile. "That's quite some boy you have there, Muchi. You should bring him to the next company levée. His sisters, too. The investors would love to see what sort of children you have."

With that, she headed off, leaving a stunned Muchi behind as he turned back to his computer. "Oh, no . . .!" he then moaned as he imagined what would happen when he got back home tonight to Tomobiki and he had to face his wife about this . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi home, that moment . . .

"_**WHAT?**_"

Hearing that shocked and angry cry from the main floor, Negako got up from where she had been meditating in the middle of Ataru's room and walked out into the hallway. "Kinshō, what is the problem?" the ninjutsu grandmaster asked.

In a flash, a snorting and red-faced Moroboshi Kinshō was leaning into Negako's face. "_**WHAT THE HELL IS THAT IDIOT THINKING OF, TAKING **_**MY**_** MONEY AWAY FROM ME?**_"

Negako's eyebrow arched. "What money are you speaking of?"

"_**THE MONEY FROM ALL THE MEDALS HE GOT AFTER THE TAG RACE!**_"

"Ah," Negako calmly breathed out, and then she leaned over to give Kinshō a very icy smile, one that made the physically older woman's knees buckle. "So you wish to mature into your senior years without any sort of filial support, correct?"

Silence.

"Wh-what?"

Negako turned away. "You wish to grow old and die alone."

"GLLRKK!"

The grandmaster looked back to see Kinshō frozen as if she was made of granite. Shaking her head, she turned back into Ataru's bedroom. "Kinshō, word of warning. Ataru's tolerance for your _abuse_ has now reached its limits. And Hiromi and Tariko will not allow you to separate them from him in some way of trying to hurt him as you have done before. If you continue to act as you are doing now, you will have to face severe consequences, far worse than what _Kyech_ might have done. Do think about . . . "

A beeping nose then escaped from somewhere in Negako's trousers, which made her reach into the pocket to draw out a cell phone. Unlike the camera messaging side-slider Ataru possessed (which Tariko was interested in getting; Hiromi was considering a smartphone), Negako had a simple flip model Fujitsu Raku-Raku Basic 3 phone from NTT DoCoMo in dark blue as she didn't really care for all the cool "modern" features the younger generation wanted in their phones. Opening it, she called into it, "Moshi-moshi, Moroboshi here." A second later, she blinked. "Your Majesty? Is there something the matter?" Another pause as Negako ignored the shocked intake of breath from Kinshō on realising that the grandmaster was now speaking to Japan's head-of-state. "Ah, Ataru's plan to return the Order of the Rising Sun medal back to you, you mean? That is correct; he made that decision about a week ago." A nod. "Hai, I do realise it could be interpreted as embarrassing unto yourself, but his intentions are honourable." A longer pause, and then she nodded. "Hai, the money will be restored to the Imperial Palace Agency; Yumoa Reigi will see to it today . . . "

Her fist lashed back to slam into Kinshō's face, knocking the older woman back and sending her tumbling down the stairs before she could grab the cell phone and tell the Emperor this was all a terrible mistake. "A meal at the Palace? Hiromi, Tariko, Ataru and myself?" Negako calmly asked as Kinshō moaned from being smacked down. "Certainly. At what time?" A nod. "Hai, that will be perfect, Your Majesty. That should give Ataru the chance to deal with the reporters here in town, thus allowing them to file their stories with their home news agencies before Friday." A blink. "Queen Elizabeth? She will be there as well? With her husband?" A nod. "Very well, we will have the medal for the Order of the British Empire ready to be returned at that time. Until tonight, then."

The connection was severed, and then Negako looked down at the moaning Kinshō. "You will not need to prepare dinner for any of us this evening, Kinshō; we will be at the Imperial Palace having dinner with His Majesty and guests." She turned away. "Do consider what I have told you, Kinshō. You will NOT be granted further chances."

Kinshō moaned, "I wish . . . I never had . . . him . . . "

"A pity, then. You would not have had _Kaeru_ as well."

A shocked gasp escaped the older woman as she turned to gape wide-eyed at the being that had been of far greater influence over her only surviving child than she or her husband. "And by the way, Kinshō, the count now stands at 2,207 times you have said those words or words to similar effect concerning Ataru," Negako added. "DO keep this in mind; he IS keeping track. It would be a pity if that information ever went PUBLIC." She then gazed on Kinshō, making her shudder. "For _you_, that is."

With that, she stepped into the bedroom, sliding the door behind her as Ataru's mother remained where she had fallen, a stunned look on her face . . .

* * *

Tōkyō, the Imperial Palace, that evening . . .

"I am so sorry that I have caused such embarrassment to the land."

Emperor Akihito smiled as he took back the beautiful medal – now sitting on a small hand pillow to ensure that it would not fall to the floor – that he had given Ataru eight months before in a private ceremony a couple days after the Tag Race ended in victory. And – so everyone believed at the time – freedom and safety for Earth as a whole. "Do not apologise, Moroboshi-dono. That you feel so strongly about this is quite apparent to all. We accept your decision in its entirety."

"You are too gracious to this unworthy warrior, Your Majesty."

"You deserve it. Not only did you fulfil the Sacred Promise that has vexed your family for over two centuries – AND live to speak of it! – you have also restored another lost soul to life. Two of them, if what the Lady Negako has spoken of your twin sister is the truth." A kind glance to the three Moroboshi sisters, and then the Son of Heaven bowed his head. "For that alone – not for your youthful impetuousness and what resulted from that – should the history books remember you by."

A deep bow in return. "Again, Your Majesty, you are too gracious to this unworthy warrior," Ataru said, using the proper reverent tone when speaking to his nation's head-of-state. And distant blood cousin, though removed by many generations since the birth of the true first mother of the Moroboshi Clan, Mirei, the illegitimate daughter of the Shōtoku Empress and her then-lover, Chancellor of the Realm Dōkyō.

The Emperor nodded in return, and then he turned to hand the medal over to one of his aides. Negako – dressed like her brother in a formal kimono and hakama with the Moroboshi Clan's tiger-protecting-the-chrysanthemum _mondokoro_ on her tunic; said symbol was only borne by members of the family who saw themselves as direct servants of the Son of Heaven and the Imperial Family – then came up with another pillow bearing a medal. Ataru took it, and then turned to bow politely to the woman standing beside the Son of Heaven. "Your Majesty, with most profound regret, I can no longer retain this which you gave unto me months ago," he said in very clear English. "I am so sorry that I have caused such embarrassment to your throne and the noble land you now rule. Please understand I do not do this out of spite or disrespect to you and your ancient realm, but out of deep conviction that this award – which was given under honourable circumstances unto this unworthy warrior – was presented for something that later proved to be the exact opposite of what the award was intended to signify. Again, I am so sorry that I have caused you such embarrassment in returning this medal unto you."

"You need not apologise, Lord Moroboshi," Queen Elizabeth II stated as she took the pillow from him, and then handed it to her aide. "You were forced by circumstances far beyond your control to confront something no person on Earth could have ever dreamt of confronting. And while at the time, you had been made to forget your obligation to the Lady Negako, you still behaved with personal honour despite your many imperfections that could, in the end, simply be attributed to ordinary teenage lust." As the Emperor laughed and the others in the room all chuckled or snickered on hearing that statement, the Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland then bowed her head. "You have shown yourself to be truly honourable. Were you willing, I would gladly knight you for your actions, both then – which, as you told our most gracious host, were done in true innocence – and recently as well, with your family's efforts to expose the alien spies in Tomobiki and remove the cobalt bomb from that city. Not to mention their abuse of their former slaves, which Professor Rhetor told us was a clear violation of many core tenets of membership in the Galactic Federation of Planet-States. I understand that was the driving reason you used Paragraph Ten against the Urusians, correct?"

"Yes, Your Majesty. While the actions of people like Hensō, Kamen, Mienai and Damasu could also be attributed to youthful ignorance – though in some places, I doubt it – what Ōgi's people were doing was nothing more than a hideous crime against a sentient race. A race that, in genetics, I am a part of given a blood-transfusion I received from my sister while we were on Okusei." Ataru waved to Tariko – who, with Hiromi, were dressed in kimonos – and then he sighed as an amused smile crossed his face. "I would gladly regale you more about our battles with our adversaries, but given what I now smell, I do believe the good chefs would like to serve supper." A glance to the Emperor, who was grinning. "So with respect, Your Majesty, I think we should eat."

"Capital idea, Ataru-kun. Let us be to our seats," the Son of Heaven declared.

More laughter filled the room as people made their way to the small table that had been set up; as this was a private affair, there were only seats for the Imperial Couple, the Royal Couple and the members of the Moroboshi Clan who had been invited today; interpreters were close by to help translate for those who didn't understand Japanese or English. As soon as everyone sat, the servants began to bring out the food. "There are two other reasons that we invited you here tonight, my friends," the Emperor then said as the initial course was served. "One of which involves the current state of your clan and how it should be restored to its place at leaders of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku, who serve the Imperial Household as they did in the past."

"The Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku?" Tariko asked, clearly confused.

"Directly translated, 'The Ten Spiritually Harmonious Houses of Heaven and Earth,' Tariko," Negako provided. "Mirei, when she was allowed to marry at last in the wake of her mother's forced removal from the Throne and banishment from the court at Naha along with her father, gave birth to ten quite healthy daughters who were allowed to marry ten court warriors of different houses. Those couples would be the founding members of the Ten Families. Ever since that time, the Ten Families have served as special agents of the Imperial Household, going forth to intervene when people required assistance but could not obtain same from local lords or – when they served as the administrative heads of the nation in His Majesty's name – the Shōgun and his staff."

"You would desire us to return to that position, Your Majesty?" Hiromi asked.

"I would. I'm sure Negako-kun can brief you all on what your duties would be in the future, Hiromi-chan, but the primary duty you must pursue now is to elect a new Matriarch," the Emperor stated. "Either yourself or Tariko-chan as you two are, by genetics and also spiritually, the granddaughters of the late Lady Nagaiwakai, who was the previous Matriarch of your clan." He sighed. "And while I do know of your feelings for Hensō, Ataru-kun, you should know that I was prepared to have any marriage between you declared illegal if I learned your parents were trying to manipulate such as a way of seizing control of your family's own assets, as controlled in the end by the Inshin Group founded by your uncle Komeru." A shake of the head. "It hurt me when I learned of how much your family flew apart at the seams because of your brother's death and the disappearance of his body when you were three, Ataru-kun. Nagaiwakai-san did intend for you to become the acting Patriarch – and would have gone out of her way to find you a suitable wife – but her own death from the grief she felt at the loss of her husband all those years ago derailed a lot of those plans. And regardless of my own promise to the Men in Black to not allow your family's true strength to be known – especially to the aliens – I still would have directly intervened if I learned you had become the fifty-seventh person to have taken up the Sacred Oath."

Ataru nodded. "Arigatō, Your Majesty. I do appreciate that." A sigh. "While I am angry at them right now for the way they've treated me over the last few years – and I have pretty much reached my tolerance limits about that – I do care for my parents. And I can understand their grief over what happened to Kaeru. They were never given closure to his death when his body disappeared." A glance to Negako. "What's worse, Onē-san has no idea what happened. Try as she might to feel the ki remnants around the hospital where Kaeru died, she can't really tell what happened."

"Something alien, perhaps?" Tariko wondered.

"Perhaps," Hiromi mused. "But given it has been fourteen years . . . "

"We may learn of what happened. We may not. Let us leave it at that," Negako stated. "I assume, Your Majesty, you desire a Council for the Succession?"

"As soon as possible, Negako-kun."

A bow of the head. "Your wish is my command."

"'Council for the Succession?'" Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, asked.

"Oh, it's easy to explain," Empress Michiko said as she smiled at the Queen's husband. "The Moroboshi Clan is unique in Japanese history for being the only clan to be lead by a matriarch, not a patriarch. Even more, the succession skips a generation, thus ensuring the new Matriarch is young and fresh whenever she takes up her duties. However, for the times like what they're facing now – no living Matriarch available – a Council for the Succession is then called of the living members of the clan to decide who will be their next Matriarch. And given the absence of their uncle . . . "

"Save for Ataru's father, all living members of the clan now in Japan are either ourselves or Komeru's wards, who are also considered eligible electors," Negako then finished for the Empress, and then she lightly smiled as she added, "Even more so, the female wards can also be seen as potential candidates as the new Matriarch."

Tariko then perked. "You mean Tanoshii-chan, Aijōa-chan, Yasashii-chan and Kenmei-chan?" she asked as she gazed on her adopted sister.

"The same. There are six others who would also qualify as well; you did not meet them before Kinshō moved to totally isolate you from them," Negako stated.

The others nodded. "So how soon would you desire the Council to convene, Your Majesty?" Hiromi then asked as she gazed on their host.

"As soon as possible, Hiromi-chan."

The Moroboshi siblings bowed their heads. "And the other matter?" Negako asked.

"Those fifty rather large and well-armed starships that are now in orbit over Earth," the Queen then said with an amused look. "The ones coloured the blue of the United Nations on their sides, all possessing rather famous names."

"Such as _Yamato_ . . . " the Emperor stated.

"And _Hood_ . . . " the Duke of Edinburgh added.

"Not to mention many other unique names, which seem to allude to either famous warships, famous people or prominent physical features in various nations across the planet," the Queen then finished. "Would you care to explain this to us?"

Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi all laughed as Negako smiled in amusement. "Well, to make a long story short, Your Majesty, two of the nearly five hundred victims of kidnapping at the hands of the Ipraedies over the last ten years made a most profound discovery in a lifeless solar system not too far from the planet Spotak, which is a Federation member-state," the reborn Xiàolíng Emperor of Hàn stated. "And when they learned of Uru's move towards us, they proceeded to take advantage of that discovery and create a space fleet that could defend our world – or, if necessary, liberate it – from such alien threats." A wry smile then crossed her face. "Sadly, the fleet wasn't truly ready to deploy until a month ago and they had an interesting encounter with a Niphentaxian slave trader who possessed over four hundred Avalonians he had just obtained from the bioroid factory three days before Elder Ganzo led the attack to liberate it. Naturally, Tsukihana-kun and Ayami-chan – that are their names, Ki Tsukihana and Hakaru Ayami – took advantage of their find and had the girls woken and made them members of the _Haida_'s and _Yamato_'s ships' companies. On their arrival in the system late yesterday afternoon, Onē-sama arranged to have more bioroids created – two hundred per ship – so they are easily manned in case someone from Uru wishes to openly express their objection to Onii-san's decision concerning that race. And others, of course."

"Can these ships be manned by volunteers from Earth?" the Duke asked.

"Certainly, Your Highness," Hiromi stated. "However – despite their being very thoroughly automated given the small numbers aboard the ships at present – to truly fight them effectively, Tsukihana-kun estimates you'll need a crew of at least 2,500 personnel, plus an on-board aerospace group of 2,500 to fly the 200 space fighters each ship is equipped with. As well as the four executive shuttles and twenty small service shuttles as well. And if you wish to deploy naval infantry or the like, the ships can each hold 1,500 more, plus carry equipment including fighting vehicles, artillery pieces and other gear that could provide a most persuasive deterrent to any attacker."

Silence fell as the others at the table considered this, and then the Queen smiled. "We must clearly meet these two people, Lady Hiromi. Can that be arranged?"

"Would now be a good time?"

The Emperor and the Queen blinked, and then they nodded . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home, Thursday 4 March, morning . . .

"So what happened at the Palace?"

Negako sipped her tea; everyone was relaxing after a quiet breakfast. "A Council for the Succession has been ordered by His Majesty, Muchi. I will contact all those who will have to be involved. We will have it here tonight at seven o'clock."

Muchi didn't immediately react. "Oh, that's nice . . . "

It hit him.

"_**COUNCIL FOR THE SUCCESSION?**_" he yelped as his hands ripped apart today's copy of the _Yomiuri Shimbun_, his face now white with shock.

"Hai, Otō-san, a Council for the Succession," Hiromi stated. "His Majesty finds the current state of affairs in our family most disquieting and wishes the matter corrected as quickly as possible. I agree with him; it is time we stopped pretending to be what we're not and return to what we have always been all along."

Kinshō blinked; she didn't know what this "council for the succession" was all about, but if her husband's reaction to it was a clue, it wouldn't be good. "Why should we care for what that man says? He has no authority over . . . _**UUURK!**_"

That was thanks to Negako reaching over the table to squeeze her throat to cut off her voice. "Kinshō, your opinions on this matter are of no concern since you _married into_ this family. Furthermore, the pre-marital agreement you signed before you married stated you would obey the decisions of the Clan Matriarch . . . or, in case of her death, the person who will act in her stead until a Council for the Succession to elect a new Matriarch is held. The person so chosen in Nagaiwakai's will was the Emperor. It is a profound pity that the laws concerning acts of _lèse majesté _were removed in 1947; it would be interesting to see what might have resulted from what you just said. Furthermore, as His Majesty IS acting as temporary head of the Clan per Nagaiwakai's will, your actions concerning your forcing Ataru to marry Hensō would have led to _nothing_ for His Majesty would have _**dissolved**_ the marriage the instant he learned of it. Even more, since you seek to disobey His Majesty in the matter concerning the Council, that is sufficient grounds to see your marriage to Muchi _**dissolved**_. Do think about it." With that, she let the other woman go before returning to her tea and meal.

Kinshō shuddered before she spun on her husband . . .

"Paper, Tō-san?"

"Arigatō, Tariko-chan."

. . . and then she screamed out on seeing Muchi now reading today's copy of the _Mainichi Shimbun_. Before she could rip the paper out of his hands, Tariko took a skillet and smashed it over her head. "Quiet, you!" she snapped as Kinshō's face was introduced to the coffee table. "I want a PEACEFUL breakfast today."

Her mother moaned as Ataru and Hiromi shook their heads . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The story begins in the last semester of the first year of high school (Grade 10 in Canada) for Ataru and his peers. In the _Yatsura_ manga, Ataru et al were in their second year of high school (Grade 11), but given that I'm writing this story to a set timeline, I felt it right that the Japanese scholastic calendar is adhered to. The Japanese school year begins at the start of April (corresponding to the start of the financial year) and goes until the following March. The year is also divided into three terms by a month-long summer break between July and August, a shorter winter break (around New Year's Day) and a spring break (before the start of the new school year).

2) **Te'a** means "That Which Is Above mortal understanding" in the language of the Avalonians and the Sagussans (the race that created the Avalon bioroid factory as explained in _The Senior Year_). It is, in effect, the Sagussan equivalent to the concept of "Non-Being" as described in the Taoist classical text _Dàodéj__īng_ (normally Romanised as _Tao Te Ching_) written by Master Lǎozǐ. The Te'a also shares attributes to the concept of the Force as depicted in _Star Wars_, though in Avalonian belief, to manipulate the Te'a Itself is seen as something to be avoided at all costs.

3) **Tsuruya Rumiko** is my name for the girl that joins Mendō Shūtarō's "secret peer guidance committee" in the manga story "Food Fight" (manga story #106); she is the girl with the glasses that distantly resembles Takahashi-sensei herself. The incident where Ataru was split into twins thanks to Oni candy and Cherry's cursed cake was depicted in the manga story "Just the Two of Us" (manga story #18). **Marubeya Momoe** and **Gekasawa Kumiko** are two of the background characters in Ataru's class; they were both introduced in the manga story "Even Though I Wait for You" (manga story #27). Momoe's and Kumiko's family names are my own invention.

4) **Sakurambō Hayao** is the birth-name I gave to Cherry in _The Senior Year_; since his monastic name (Sakurambō) is a kanji pun that means "demented monk" while sounding like the phrase for "cherry fruit," I decided to use it as Cherry's true family name. His sister (Sakura's mother) went back to her maiden name on the death of her husband, plus adopted Sakura back to the Sakurambō Clan, hence the fact that in _TSY_, the beautiful nurse/Shintō shrine miko's name is **Sakurambō Sakura**.

5) **Mifune Hideyuki** is a character that was meant to be introduced into _The Senior Year_ in a side-story written by Mike Smith called "A Spy Among Us." The rough draft for said story has been done, but it needs tweaking up to match up to the continuity of the series, so I can't say exactly when it will be released. **Inu Fuchiko** is Chigaiko's older sister; she lead a gang from Butsumetsu High School that got Ryōki Kōsei's help in getting Ataru to date the dying Chigaiko in "Darling's Secret Date." **Moroboshi Nagaiwakai**, Ataru's part-Vosian paternal grandmother, was first mentioned in "Sakura's Class Reunion" and fully introduced in "Tag Race Mark Three." **Moroboshi Komeru**, Ataru's archaeologist paternal uncle, first appeared in "Spirit-War Tomobiki."

6) The locations of the three primary tōshi schools of Kantō, the **Nan'yō Academy**, the **Kyoshō Academy** and **Seito High School**, were established in manga chapter #76 of _Ikkitōsen_; see the map used by the tōshi as they were determining where the re-enactment of the Battle of the Red Cliffs was going to occur. Locating **Rakuyō Senior High School** in Tōkyō seemed logical considering that. The four other schools (the **Yoshū Private Academy**, **Gogun High School** and the **Yōshū Academy**) were placed in the northern prefectures of Kantō (especially concerning Gogun as it seemed to be very much out in the country as note the battle scene between Mago Tsueko [Sonsaku Hakufu] and Kokoni Kichimi [Ukitsu] in manga chapters #26-32). **Nanban High School**'s location in the Izu Islands south of Tōkyō Bay seemed logical given what was depicted in the anime series _Ikkitōsen - Xtreme Xecutor_.

7) Mendō's reaction to Ataru's parents and their trying to steal what he had been given by his relative stems from a _Yatsura_ anime story, "Shinobu's Cinderella Story" (anime episode #71), where he came to Shinobu's aide in dealing with heirs of a particularly wealthy family, including a fellow Shinobu herself protected from some thugs.

8) The name of Moroboshi Muchi's employer, **Marubishi and Company**, comes from the adult slice-of-life salaryman manga series _Desire_, written by Kotani Kenichi in the late 1990s. The man's art, in my eyes, ranks with that of another favourite manga-ka of mine, Ikegami Ryōichi of _Crying Freeman_ and _Mai the Psychic Girl_ fame.

9) For those who haven't read _Phoenix From the Ashes_ yet, **Asagaya Hisayo** is Saotome Nodoka's twin sister.

10) The phrase "grow old and die alone" was used by me in _The Senior Year_ as a retaliation to Moroboshi Kinshō's "I wish I never had you/him" tirades during the "Tiger Saga" stories when Ataru's tolerance of his parents reached a breaking point and he began making plans to move out of Tomobiki (and bring Lum out as well) once and for all.

11) **NTT DoCoMo** (short for "**N**ippon **T**elegraph and **T**elephone **Do** **Co**mmunications Over the **Mo**bile Network;" the word _dokomo_ also means "everywhere" in Japanese) is Japan's largest cell-phone company with over fifty million customers (as of 2008). The **Fujitsu Raku-Raku Basic 3** is a standard flip-open cell phone offered by the company.

12) The **Order of the Rising Sun** (_Kyokujitsu-shō_) is the oldest current order of merit in Japan; it was first established by the Meiji Emperor in 1875. It is the second-rank order of merit offered by the Japanese government in the name of the people; the **Order of the Chrysanthemum** (_Daikun'i Kikka-shō_) ranks above it. However, given the Order of the Chrysanthemum is normally awarded to heads-of-state/government, royalty and high military leaders, it made more sense to give Ataru something that was meant more for common people. The **Order of the British Empire** was established in 1917 by King George V as a way of bridging the gap between the high valour decorations (like the Victoria Cross) and the standard orders of chivalry (such as the Order of the Garter). Ataru received the First Class Grand Cordon of the Order of the Rising Sun and was made a civilian Officer of the Order of the British Empire (post-nominals **O****.****B****.****E****.**).

13) **Zacharaias Rhetor** is the real name I give to the character of "Chief Zed" in the _Men in Black_ movies. Before becoming an MIB, he was a professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

14) The agreement between the United Nations of Earth and the United Tribes of Uru (the military junta controlling Lum's homeworld and her colonies) was coached in the form of a treaty between the two organisations; this has been the way I have always viewed the politics behind the first Tag Race as I so wrote in _The Senior Year_. In said treaty, Paragraph Ten gave the Terran tag race champion the right to declare any native of Uru undesirable and force him/her to leave the planet. The previous Paragraph Nine (as I described in the _TSY_ story "Tag Race Mark Three"), it should be noted, declared that if the Terran tag race champion was physically incapacitated, the Urusians had the right to select ANOTHER champion to compete against (and thus, allow them to invade Earth anyway should said new champion lose the tag race).

15) The **Shōtoku Empress** (718-770), birth-name **Abe**, was the sixth of eight women to have served as the ruling head-of-state of Japan. She is also one of the few who had actually sat on the Chrysanthemum Throne TWICE. Her first period (when she was addressed as the **Kōken Empress**) was between 749-758; she abdicated that year in lieu of a male cousin and adopted son, the **Junnin Emperor** (733-765). The former Empress deposed her successor in 764, ruling as the Shōtoku Empress until her death. **Dōkyō** (700-772) was a Buddhist monk who attracted the attention of the Empress after he had cured her of an illness shortly after she had stepped down from the throne. When she returned to power, she made him one of the most powerful members of her court. It got so bad that people began to fear Dōkyō becoming the next Emperor. Fortunately (in the eyes of the nobility), the Empress' death in 770 saw Dōkyō removed. Of course, the story about them having a child (which I first wrote of in _Lonely Souls_) is fictional.

16) A **mon** (also called **monshō**, **mondokoro** and **kamon**) is a heraldic symbol used to identify a family in Japan.

17) What happened to **Ki Tsukihana** (Kōgetsuei) and **Hakaru Ayami** (Jun'iku Bunjaku) parallels the story of Sakura's old high school classmate, Ryōki Kōsei, as described in _The Senior Year_ story "The Return of Kōsei Ryōki."

18) **Lèse Majesté** is a French legal term derived from the Latin _Laesa Maiestas_ ("injured majesty"). It is the phrase that describes all offenses that bring either harm or insult to a monarch; such was often treated as being no different than treason. Until the current Japanese constitution was introduced in 1947 to make the Son of Heaven "the symbol of the state and of the unity of the people" (as noted in Chapter I, Article 1), there were quite severe legal penalties demanded by the government for any sort of act that was deemed to harm or insult the Emperor (note Chapter I, Article 3 of the Constitution of 1890, which states "The Emperor is sacred and inviolable.")


	3. Shinobu's Heartbreak

Tomobiki High School, Class 1-4, lunchtime . . .

"Mendō-dono."

Mendō perked on hearing that formal phrase, and then he turned to see Hiromi standing nearby, a look of profound seriousness on her face. "Um, h-h-hai?"

A deep bow. "Mendō-dono, the Heavenly Sovereign has expressed in his most honourable words to this unworthy warrior his desire to see the leadership issues concerning this unworthy warrior's clan be properly resolved as quickly as could be practicable," Hiromi stated in a respectful tone of voice, one that made the people in the classroom gape. As people quieted down to hear what had to be said, she added, "To that end, this unworthy warrior will gather with her family and her uncle's beloved wards at our family home this evening at the seventh hour to hold a Council for the Succession to decide who will stand in the place of this unworthy warrior's late grandmother, the Marchioness Moroboshi Nagaiwakai, as the Matriarch of the Moroboshi of Mutsu-no-kuni. Therefore, this unworthy warrior would desire to ask such a noble warrior as yourself, as heir to the Patriarchy of the Mendō of Musashi-no-kuni, to come unto this unworthy warrior's humble domicile to bear witness to the Council as so requested by the Heavenly Sovereign in his most honourable words."

Mendō stiffened before he bowed his head. "This one finds himself confused, Moroboshi-hime," he then stated in the same tones Hiromi had been using when speaking of the Emperor. "Much that this one will always honour the Heavenly Sovereign as he is lord and master over us all who live within His Realm, why is it the leadership of your clan considered of such great import by the Heavenly Sovereign?"

"The Heavenly Sovereign believed you would inquire on that very subject, Mendō-dono," Hiromi said before she produced a small envelope to present to him with both hands. "Thus, in his most honourable words, the Heavenly Sovereign instructed this unworthy warrior to bear his most honourable letter unto your hands."

Gasps filled the room as Mendō took the letter with shaking hands and then opened it to scan what was there. A moment later, the scion of Japan's richest family blinked before his eyes went wide. "This is no forgery . . . " he hissed before he caught himself, cheeks reddening. "Um, s-s-sorry . . . I just can't believe . . .!"

Hiromi laughed. "Shūtarō-san, please remember what Onii-san told the reporters yesterday at the school gates?" She then straightened herself. "We are ninja, not samurai, Shūtarō-san. What you cannot protect, we protect in your stead." She then smiled. "So may we expect your presence this evening at seven o'clock?"

A deep bow. "I will be there, Hiromi-san. Will gifts be allowed?"

She shook her head. "No, they are not necessary, but if you do wish to bring snacks, you will be allowed that; once again, Okā-san is learning that what she has long perceived as her own private domain is not hers in the long term, so she will have to be restrained by Onē-sama to prevent any interruption of the Council. I'm afraid that you won't be allowed any guests. And please keep your sister out of this. Much that her antics can be quite amusing, they have no place at this occasion."

"I understand fully," he said with a nod. "However, I must warn you that she is becoming most agitated over the fact that she has not had the chance to meet either yourself or Tariko-san, much less try to 'play' anew with your brother."

Hiromi hummed. "May I be allowed to assist in that matter, then?"

Mendō blinked. "How so?"

A clap of the hands. "Jinseiko-san!"

A black blur later, a woman in the black gi of a very pretty kunoichi was kneeling at Hiromi's feet. "You summoned me, Young Mistress?" she asked.

The whole class gasped in shock. "Holy shit, Ataru! Where'd you get her from?" Megane demanded as he stared wide-eyed at Hiromi's brother.

Hiromi giggled. "My apologies, minna-san, but may I present the leader of my grandmother's personal guardian troupe, the Kuromoroboshi: Fusegu Jinseiko-san."

A deep bow of the head. "I am honoured to meet the Young Mistresses' and Young Master's classmates," Jinseiko then said in a rather cold voice.

The rest of the class were all quick to sense the obvious tone of disapproval in her words on mentioning them. "Jinseiko-san!" Hiromi snapped.

Jinseiko yelped, and then bowed her head. "But Mistress . . .!"

"Jinseiko-san, the matter concerning how everyone feels concerning Onii-san and what happened before we learned the truth behind Hensō-san is considered resolved by all of us, so say no more about it," the reborn emperor then commanded in a voice that made everyone gape at her. "Or do you wish to be relieved of your duties?"

Jinseiko acked, and then prostrated herself before Hiromi, her face now soaked with shamed tears. "No, Mistress! Please! I'm sorry, Mistress . . .!"

"SILENCE!"

The kunoichi froze at that barked command. "Now, as you are aware, there will be a Council for the Succession this evening at our home. We will need to ensure there is no interruption. Onē-sama will deal with Okā-san. The primary potential problem is with Shūtarō-san's sister Ryōko-san. Tell all the girls that they are to ensure that neither Ryōko-san nor any of her Kuroko interrupts the Council regardless of reason."

A deep bow. "I understand, Young Mistress. May we be allowed full liberty?"

"No, you may not."

"May we be allowed to permanently maim her if she presses the matter?"

"No, you may not," Hiromi stated with a twitching eyebrow as Mendō awked on hearing such an open and dire threat concerning his own sister.

A depressed sigh. "Hai, Young Mistress. Please excuse me."

And in a blur, she was gone. Silence fell over the room, and then Shinobu came up to stare wide-eyed at Hiromi. "Um . . . she doesn't like us, does she?"

"No, she does not," Hiromi said. "In her eyes – and in the eyes of all the Kuromoroboshi, not to mention Oji-san's wards – each and every one of you in this room with the exception of Chigaiko-san are _**monsters**_ that deserve to be _exterminated_ for all you have done to Onii-san since the matter with the Tag Race." As many of the people shuddered in shock on hearing that, she added, "They are exceptionally angry at our parents as well, especially Okā-san; were they given the chance, Jinseiko-san and her friends would have made Onii-san an orphan long before Hensō-san entered our lives."

Everyone gulped. "Um, you don't seem too bothered by that, Ataru," Hideyuki said as he gazed on Hiromi's brother. "Yeah, there were the things that happened where people turned around and blamed it on you when you weren't at fault for it. That bullshit with the clone guns Damasu and Hensō used back in October, not to mention the oil thing and the shit Jariten did. You don't . . . "

"Dude."

Hideyuki blinked. "Yeah?"

"Forget about it," Ataru said as he gave the other boy a light smile. "Let's just get on with our lives and put the past where it belongs."

The others gazed on him, and then people around the room nodded. At her chair, Momoe blinked before she took a deep breath and got up to walk over to Ataru's seat. Before he could react to her presence, she slipped a folded piece of paper into his hand and then turned back to her chair. He blinked as he slipped the paper into his pants pocket, and then stood up to walk out of the room. Once he was in the hallway, he relaxed as he took the note out and read it. What was there was surprising:

_Ataru-kun,  
Please meet us at the old willow tree after final class clean-up. All the girls save Shinobu-chan, Chigaiko-san and Rumiko-san will be there.  
Momoe  
P.S. This isn't some set-up like what happened before. I promise that!_

He blinked, and then slipped the note back into his pocket before walking back into the classroom. As he sensed Momoe gaze his way, he gave her a nod before taking his seat. Smiling on noting that, Momoe turned back to her meal . . .

* * *

After school . . .

"I'm here!"

"Ah, Ataru-kun!" Inoue Tamako, one of the more plainer-looking girls in the class (though Ataru had hit on her before), said on seeing Ataru walk through the bushes surrounding the ancient willow tree at the northeast end of the property; due to the age of the tree, the area around it was always kept natural and not trimmed by the caretakers, this place was one of the more private areas on the grounds outside the clock tower. Of course, said tree was known to be haunted by a ghost or some other spirit (as Ataru himself learned much to his cost sometime prior to the trip to planet Elle).

"Do your sisters know you're here?" Kumiko asked as two of the other girls in the class, Obinata Hiromi – "the first Hiromi-chan" as the guys started calling her yesterday after Moroboshi Hiromi joined the class – and Yamagata Masako, moved to watch over the entrance to the grove to ensure they wouldn't be interrupted by any passer-by, either staff or student. "We know about this meeting tonight . . . "

"Ah, it's cool! Since it's a vote for a _matriarch_, I'm not eligible to run and I'm going to abstain from voting anyway," he admitted as he moved to lean against the willow tree, crossing his arms. "It'll be either Tariko or Hiromi as Matriarch. I'm not going to choose one over the other of my sisters; that's not fair."

The eighteen girls – Class 1-4 had twenty-one girls in it before Hensō came – in the grove all laughed on hearing that. "Well, that's good!" Momoe then said.

"So what's up?" he then prodded.

The girls all blinked before they looked away from him, their cheeks reddening. He gazed at them, and then his eyes narrowed as he felt waves of embarrassment, hope and desire from each of them. "I see, now . . . " he breathed out. "I would think that after I got Onē-san, Tariko and Hiromi out of my head and a little better control over myself, you girls would actually appreciate not being hit on anymore by me."

They perked, and then Arakida Yui – she was a girl with bowl-shaped brown-hair and blue eyes; she was Hiromi's and Masako's best friend – came up to stand before him. "Don't you love us anymore?" she then pleaded as she gazed teary-eyed at him.

Ataru blinked, and then he sighed as he squeezed her shoulders, which made Yui blush as she looked down. His finger moved to tilt her chin up so she could gaze at him. He leaned in to deliver a tender kiss, which made Yui instantly freeze up for a moment before she moaned as she moved to tightly embrace him, opening her mouth as she allowed his tongue to probe in and play with her own. As the other girls all watched wide-eyed – as they all began to physically react to Ataru's show of passion to their classmate – his hands began to roam over her, finally resting on her buttocks as her hands dove for the rather BIG tent-like lump in his pants; on seeing that, all the other girls in began to feel their cheeks redden as a certain rush began to flood their bodies. In a moment, they pulled apart. "Take me!" she hissed . . .

. . . before a finger tapped her in the back of the head, which made Yui jolt before she blinked as someone moved past her to proceed and tap several points on Ataru's back and neck to make him blink before he moaned. "Damn it, Onē-san . . . "

"Calm yourself, Ataru," Negako said. "Yui, step clear out of the way. He needs to ejaculate now that you've caused him some excitement. Ladies, do the same."

The girls all blinked before Tamako reached over to grab Yui and yank her away. Seeing that, the others got clear as Negako straightened her brother out, and then opened his trousers and pulled his manhood clear. As the girls all gaped at how big he was, the grandmaster touched several more points, which made him erupt in a storm that splattered the bushes close to where Masako had been standing. Ignoring the dropped jaws from the other girls around them, Negako then moved to allow Ataru to sit down as she drew out a cloth to clean him up. As a moan escaped him, his eyes fluttered open as he turned to stare at Yui. "Yui-chan . . . sorry . . . didn't mean to . . . "

Negako touched his sleep spot, which made him pass out. "Oh, gods . . .!" Momoe breathed out. "Negako-san, what's wrong with him?" she then asked.

"This, Momoe, is the result of nearly six weeks Earth-time of frequent sexual intercourse with a very powerful metahuman," Negako calmly stated as she moved to straighten up Ataru's clothing. "As I explained to you all on Monday, I used Ataru's body as a conduit to absorb ki energy to transmit to the node under the Tarōzakura so that, when I felt it was the right time, I could then use it to mould a body for myself. All the times Ataru acted in ways none of you approved of and you retaliated for it, that created ki that I eventually sought to use. When Kyech brought Ataru to Okusei to help in the removal of my soul, Tariko's soul and Hiromi's soul from his mind, she became quite attracted to him. They are alike in one very unique aspect: They are very lonely and mistrustful people when dealing with their peers. And because of that – and because of the uniqueness of Kyech's ki – Ataru has now become a battery of tantric-aligned ki that needs to be released gently to allow him to finally achieve a state of normalcy after so long. If he does not get that chance, it will kill him in the long run." She then sighed. "This is my fault . . . " she then stated as she gazed on her last host. "I should have anticipated this . . . "

"Hey, don't blame yourself, Negako-san," Masako said as she knelt beside the grandmaster, reaching over to squeeze her shoulder. "Yeah, what you were planning to do with some of us was pretty raw, but you never really trusted human beings in general, right?" As Negako nodded, the girl with the cute pigtails then shrugged. "'Sides, if Ataru-kun can forgive you for what you ended up putting him through, then why should we be angry at you? Or him for that matter?" A sigh. "Still . . . "

"We were hoping to date him to try to get the guys to finally notice us," Hiromi then added as she knelt beside Ataru's feet. "They've been in mourning over losing Hensō like that since we got back to Earth. None of them are paying attention to us . . . "

"Except for Mendō-san, but he's focusing only on Shinobu-chan," Tamako added.

The grandmaster nodded. "Would you girls still wish to date Ataru?"

The girls all perked, and then they nodded as they called out their answers:

"Of course!"

"Sure!"

"Definitely!"

"Hey, he's the ONLY guy who ALWAYS paid attention to us!"

"If he feels sorry for what he almost did to Yui-chan, why not?"

"Yeah, I want to date him!"

"Hell, I want to have SEX with him!"

Gasps filled the air as people gaped on Chikanatsu Tomiko. "Tomiko-chan! How could you say that?" Kumiko demanded as she put her fists to hips.

"Well, c'mon!" Tomiko, a girl who was almost as plain-looking as Chigaiko, then snarled as she glared at her classmate. "He doesn't care about what others think!"

"Enough."

Eyes locked on Negako. "Much that I understand your desire to explore your sexual awareness, ladies, there is a risk you run at this time if you desire to pursue Ataru even for a simple date," the grandmaster said as she stood to stare at them. "If he loses control, the ki-charged pheromones his body now releases will ensnare you totally and he will effectively be able to rape you without you being able to resist. That, he does NOT want. This is the reason I have asked several of the Avalonian groups in town to assist in bleeding off the ki he absorbed from Kyech in a safe manner; they possess the strength to fight the influence of Ataru's pheromones. When done – I estimate a month is required to this end – he will then be available for the rest of you."

The girls all blinked, and then Tomiko moaned. "That sucks!" she spat. "What do we do in the meantime? We can't get the boys to go on dates with us; they still want Hensō to come back and they're pining over Sakura-sensei all the time!"

"Wait!"

Eyes locked on Momoe. "What?" Kumiko asked.

"Negako-san said an Avalonian possesses the mental strength to resist Ataru-kun's charm, right?" she asked. As the others nodded, she shrugged. "It's simple! We can still go on dates with Ataru-kun . . . but we need to have at least one Avalonian with us as a sort of chaperone so that she can butt in when things get out of hand!"

The others blinked, and then they grinned. "That's perfect!" Yui whooped.

"There're those girls that hang out with Chigaiko-san all the time," Hiromi added as she help up a finger in emphasis. "And there are all of Rumiko-chan's friends, too! They're pretty friendly with all of us!"

The others nodded. By then, a moan was escaping the lone man present. "Ah! Ataru-kun! Are you okay?" Yui said as she moved to place steadying hands on his shoulders as his eyes fluttered open and he looked around in confusion.

"I . . . wha' happened . . .?" he asked before he focused on Yui for a moment before he moaned. "Oh, hell! Don't tell me it happened . . . "

"Yes, it happened," Negako said as she stared at him. "We will be working on that matter over the next month or so. At the same time, you'll be able to fulfil some of your fantasies and go on very nice evening dates with your peers. With an Avalonian to chaperone you both so that you will not do something you do not wish to do."

He blinked, and then he stared at the others. "You all . . .?"

"HAI!" they all chanted as one.

Ataru took that in, and then he chuckled before he stared at Yui. "So, Yui-chan . . . what are you up to tomorrow night?" he calmly asked.

She blushed as the others laughed . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi home, after supper . . .

"I did NOT give permission to . . . _UURK!_"

Kinshō felt her mouth flap open and closed, though at this point, no noise was emitting from it. That was thanks to Negako and a handy shiatsu point on the older woman's throat. "Be silent, Kinshō. This is not your house, but Muchi's. And he understands what is to happen tonight." She then leaned into the other woman's face. "Do not do anything more or I will paralyse you for the entire _evening_."

Ataru's mother jerked on hearing that threat, and then she shrank into herself as she seemed to make herself invisible as people filed into the room after being greeted by Ataru at the front doorway. Hiromi and Tariko were seated off close to the television, with Muchi at the coffee table reading his paper; while he knew fully what was about to happen here this evening, he didn't care to participate, though he wouldn't object to it despite what his wife had screamed at him to do when he got back from work earlier on that afternoon. As she took her place, Seiryōkuteki Tanoshii – a first-year student at Butsumetsu Girl's High School who was now aspiring to become a Shintō miko – smirked as she glared intently at the now-silenced Kinshō.

"She won't learn from this, Negako-sama," the raven-haired and very beautiful woman said as she relaxed on the floor beside her three best friends, Katsudōteki Aijōa, Sōzōteki Yasashii and Geijutsuteki Kenmei. "She hasn't cared for anything other than her 'perfect and normal' home since she married her husband! Anything that threatens it in any way, shape or form – especially if it came from Nagaiwakai-sama or Oji-chan – was to be thrown out as quickly as possible. She won't bend at all."

"Makes me wonder how is it she was able to accept Hensō," Kenmei said with a scowl before she reached over to the plate of snacks to snare up a muffin.

"Simple. It gave her the chance to throw Ataru-chan out of the house once and for all," Aijōa mused as she gazed on her classmate; like Tanoshii and Yasashii, Aijōa and Kenmei were also Butsumetsu Girl's freshmen. "Don't you remember what she said to him right after he tagged the Oni's horns at the end of the Tag Race?"

"Oh, yes. 'Ataru, be sure you come home for the holidays,'" Yasashii quoted. She then smiled as Kinshō glared at her. "Pity the Emperor would have had the marriage between your son and that Oni declared _**null-and-void**_ the instant we told him you were trying to _embezzle_ all the money Obā-chan and Oji-chan left for him!"

"Not to mention possibly declare you **_incompetent_**!" Kenmei added.

Kinshō turned sheet-white. "Indeed, Yasashii-chan, that would have led to a lot of trouble for everyone involved," Yumoa Reigi, who was one of the older of Moroboshi Komeru's wards and chief of operations for Toranoseishin Finances – the largest part of the Inshin Group, the conglomerate formed by Nagaiwakai and her husband Kokeru after World War Two, then passed on into Komeru's hands (as the eldest child) after Kokeru killed himself shortly after Muchi was born – in Tomobiki said as he stared in disgust at Kinshō. "Well, it was fortunate that the Lady K'ekhech got involved when she did."

"Hai. Pity that it didn't work out between her and Ataru-chan," Yamagami Mamimi said as she gave Kinshō a glare. She and her brother Akio were the orphaned children of a former investor who died while helping Komeru out on one of his never-ending safaris; despite he being one of the wealthier people in all of Japan, Ataru's uncle almost never stayed in country, preferring to be out in the wilderness exploring. "If it did, it would have been quite nice to see this useless bint face Noukiite justice."

Again, Kinshō paled, which made all the others in the room laugh. Watching them from his place near the entrance to the living room, a calm and relaxed Mendō Shūtarō could only shake his head. Yes, he didn't really care for Moroboshi Ataru as a person, not even now. But he did find himself liking Moroboshi Hiromi and Moroboshi Tariko since neither cared to judge him for his own many shortcomings, which were in a way as bad as their brother's. And noting how much all the young people here – he only knew Reigi personally; Toranoseishin floated loans to the Mendō Clan to help with paying for their paramilitary forces – had suffered because they had been cut off from what they all saw as a favoured cousin, he could only find himself concluding that while Ataru did have his bad points, his parents' attitudes were to blame for a lot of them.

"Is this it, Onē-san?" Ataru asked as he leaned into the living room.

Negako nodded. "Yes, this is it."

"Hai!"

With that, he closed the door, and then walked in to kneel beside his sisters. Negako placed herself at the head of the crowd, kneeling before them. "Good evening, everyone. Thank you for taking time to come here this evening," she began. "Much that I believe all of you would rather go on and live your lives, you – as Komeru's wards – do have certain obligations to the family that effectively adopted you into the fold when you were either orphaned or removed from your parents' care for whatever reason had necessitated such actions. This gathering, the Council for the Succession, is one such obligation, perhaps the most important one you may be asked to participate in.

"For 1,200 years, we have been the silent guardians of society here on the Home Islands. The Angels of the Shadows who come forth to save those others would not save," the grandmaster continued. "Ready to be there whenever someone, for whatever reason, needed help and mitigating factors – the enmity between clans, the spite of a powerful daimyō or even a shōgun, gender, even ancestral occupation that made them 'unclean' in the eyes of the more religiously devout – precluded those other elements of society from assisting those desperately in need. We have welcomed those who felt themselves totally alone in the world. Long before other groups both within the borders of Japan and beyond began the practice of welcoming those that had been abandoned by our own society, there was the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku. As we were in harmony within ourselves, so we strove to bring harmony to others. And as our society here in Japan today evolves into embracing the outside world with all their different ways, our mission becomes even more vital as there are elements here in Japan who wish to do everything to maintain the old ways and customs out of xenophobia, racism, the remnants of the militant nationalism that plunged us into a war we could not win against a far superior foe, and other such factors. And they do this regardless of the cost to people who never asked to be scorned, ostracised or ignored in the first place.

"All of you here tonight were welcomed by Nagaiwakai's eldest son as his wards. He could not formally adopt you as he was not wed and refuses to become wed due to his personal inability to father children, but you are still seen as part of the Moroboshi Clan by not just myself, but the Heavenly Sovereign and the Imperial House our clan has loyally served for all those centuries. I am aware of your stories." To Tanoshii. "You, Tanoshii, who were born of drunken parents who cared not to care for their daughter despite efforts by relatives to see you safe and sound." To Yasashii. "You, Yasashii, whose mother came from America, fell in love with a local baseball player, then died giving birth to you. And in her dying, sealed your father's fate due to heartbreak even if his last act was to win the World Series for his team." To Reigi. "You, Reigi, also the child of a mixed-nationality couple, orphaned when your father died for his homeland far from America's shores and your mother fell victim to violence because your father's family refused to care for her or yourself." Negako took a deep breath. "All your stories are known to me. Thus, ask yourself this one simple question: If you were saved, don't you have the obligation to save others?"

"HAI!" they all chanted.

Negako nodded. "Excellent. Now, while it is considered correct for any female of the current generation with us today – this includes Tanoshii, Aijōa, Yasashii, Kenmei, Mamimi, Minamo, Hinata, Nozomi, Wakaba and Hikari – to stand as Matriarch, His Majesty would prefer a direct blood-relation to Nagaiwakai to take her place as the Matriarch. Fortunately, thanks to the twists of Fate and the technology of the Avalonians, we have that now in the two ladies now seated beside Ataru: Moroboshi Tariko and Moroboshi Hiromi." She then blinked. "You have a question, Shūtarō?"

Surprised at the grandmaster's move to acknowledge him, the scion of the Mendō Clan nodded. "Hai. And I apologise for interrupting. But what would have happened if Hiromi-san and Tariko-san never existed? Or none of these beautiful ladies here had been adopted by Komeru-san? In that case, what would have been permitted?"

"At that point, a possible wife would have been sought out for Ataru to marry so she would become the new Matriarch," Negako stated. "If Nagaiwakai was still alive, she would have selected the potential wife. If she was dead, the Emperor would have done that. In no way do Ataru's parents possess that right." She did not bother to stare at Kinshō; she could sense the shivering woman glaring daggers at her back.

"I see. Thank you for making that clear to me, Negako-san."

"You are welcome."

"So what are the candidates' qualifications, Negako-sama?" Tanoshii asked. "I would assume since they shared Ataru-chan's mind with yourself, they are as skilled as you are in the family Art. But are they fit to take charge of the Clan?"

"That, you must judge, Tanoshii. And that is the same for all of you," Negako said as she gazed on the others. "Here are their qualifications . . . "

* * *

Tomobiki High School, Friday 5 March, afternoon study hall . . .

"So you refused and Hiromi-san was chosen as Matriarch?"

"Yeah," Tariko said as she sipped her juice before turning to her book so she could scan the information and make notes before they would have to go to physical education class. Since it would be an extended class, they had to cram in the studies now. "I mean, much that I understand why the Emperor wants us to go back to working for him, it just isn't my bag, Shinobu-chan. Hiromi lived that life back in Luòyáng even if she wasn't really prompted to do something when she was Emperor back then. She knows what it means to serve someone who technically doesn't have a lot of temporal power but possesses spiritual power. In many ways, even more so than Queen Elizabeth does for her subjects in Britain, to say anything else of the Commonwealth . . . "

Shinobu giggled. She was finding herself very attracted to Ataru's twin sister in a lot of ways . . . and no, that wasn't because of what Tariko (when she was a "he" that one time) had promised she would do for her when Hensō's candy had effectively split her off from Ataru. She then scowled. _Until Ataru-kun's mother got in the way and made Cherry force them back together again!_ she mentally added.

Tariko's eyebrow arched, and then she reached over to tap Shinobu on the head, which made her jolt. "Hey! Forget about it, okay?" she said with a smile. "What happened wasn't meant to happen then, so don't worry about it, alright?"

Shinobu blinked, and then she nodded. "Hai . . . "

She then paused as she turned to look over her shoulder, gazing on Ataru as he was chatting away with Yui; the whole class had learned of the planned date between the two just before the first bell. While the Stormtroopers had jumped in to scream at Ataru for "two-timing poor, sweet Lum-san like that!" – and then blushing in considerable embarrassment as they recalled what they had learned two months ago in Onishuto while all the girls and some of the other boys had laughed – there had not been a real reaction from any of the boys. Staring at the giggling girl who seemed to be almost as plain in looks as Inu Chigaiko – whom Shinobu personally felt deserved a shot at taking Hensō's and Kyech's places in Ataru's heart – as she told him a joke that make him laugh before the librarian in the distance shushed them, she then sighed as a familiar twitch of jealousy came up from deep within her. She then perked on sensing Tariko gazing at her, and then she moaned. "Hai, you're right."

"Guess 'Toshi and the guys aren't the only people who need to lose some bad habits," Tariko mused before she turned back to her book.

"Did you ever hate me?"

Ataru's twin blinked, and then sighed. "Personally, no. You were looking for stability and a steady boyfriend. I couldn't provide that to you. And right now, I can't provide that to you as I'm as much a girl as you are even if I still find myself trying not to bleed from the nose when I see you nude in the showers."

Shinobu blinked, though her cheeks were reddening. "Do you think I'm sexy?"

Tariko smiled. "I've always thought you were the most beautiful girl in the world, Shinobu. There's . . . " She paused before shrugging. "I don't know. There's a purity in you Hensō never had. Maybe it was because she was just Lum's replica and not Lum. I have to admit, Lum herself reminded me a lot of you. I think Kuhu's the luckiest girl the universe to land Lum. And Kyech . . . " Another shrug. "Well, she's a pretty simple girl deep down – and she's as bisexual as I am – but she's got all those powers and she's afraid of what might happen if someone ever does get that close to her heart. I told you about Ataru's current little problem, remember?"

A shudder raced through the other woman as she recalled what Tariko and Hiromi had explained to her before first class when Shinobu had expressed concerns about what might happen on tonight's date. "Hai. Is Yui-chan going to be alright?"

"She'll be fine; Kyōno Mari will be with them."

Shinobu hummed. "That's one of Chigaiko-san's friends, right?"

"Yeah. Pretty nice girl – then again, all the Avalonians who were brought here to be companions to their 'brothers' and 'friends' are pretty much like that – and she's been briefed on what to look for if Ataru or Yui get into something they're not ready for, so it should be okay." Tariko perked. "Hey, you busy this weekend?"

Shinobu blinked, and then she smiled. "No, I don't have plans. Why?"

"Well, Hiromi, Ataru and I are going out to the Kujūkuri Beach to spend some time unwinding from all the fun we had on Okusei. Of course, Onē-san wouldn't be caught within a kilometre of the open ocean, so it'll just be us. Want to come?"

Shinobu stared at her. "Um, Tariko, it's MARCH, remember?" she then stated. "Who on Earth would be out there at THIS time of the year?"

"My point."

The other girl blinked, and then she giggled. "True . . .!"

* * *

Nearby . . .

"Is this true?"

"Hai, Mistress," Jinseiko said as she bowed her head. "This was announced by Mistress Saeko yesterday when she had a private meeting with Mistress Haruka. They informed the Heavenly Sovereign about their decision by courier."

"So that's where Okā-sama was all this week," Mendō mused.

Staring at the note in her hand, which had been written in the Emperor's own beautiful script, the new Matriarch of the Moroboshi Clan of Mutsu-no-kuni could only sigh before she gazed on her classmate. "Shūtarō-san, I don't know what to begin to say to you," she whispered before she nodded her thanks to the chief Kuromoroboshi, who nodded and vanished in a blur. "Did you have ANY idea this was coming?"

"No," he said as he sat back in his chair. "Still, I should have anticipated that some sort of formal arrangement might have been made for me by my parents. It is to be expected of those at my level of wealth." A smile. "In that way, Hiromi-san, you are remarkably lucky. As you live a quite normal life, you aren't expected to face things like omiai and all that . . . " He then shuddered. "How will I tell Shinobu-san about this, Hiromi-san?" he hissed. "Especially in the last two months . . .!"

A nod. "I would suggest now," she then proposed. "Shinobu-san is quite dear to Onii-san and Onē-san, thus she is also quite dear to me. If I was in her place, I would not wish to have this sort of information hidden from me. Come."

He jolted, and then nodded in understanding. Both rose from their table and walked to where Shinobu and Tariko were sitting. They perked on sensing the others approach, and then Tariko tensed on feeling the jolt of shame now filling Mendō's heart, not to mention a sense of hopelessness and anger. "Oh, hell! What happened?"

Hiromi handed the note over. Tariko scanned it, and then she gaped before shaking her head. "Damn!" she hissed out. "You knew anything about this, Shūtarō?"

"No, Tariko-san, not at all. I . . . " He then shuddered before he dropped to his knees and prostrated himself before his soon-to-be ex-girlfriend. "Shinobu-san! Please forgive me for what has happened! I had no idea about this! None!"

Shinobu blinked, and then she held out her hand. Tariko handed the note over to her. Scanning it, Shinobu blinked before she took a moment to re-read it, and then she slowly nodded as she felt her heart start to crash and burn. "Well . . . " she then said, quite surprised by the steadiness of her voice. "I suppose that . . . "

A shudder then took her voice away before sobs began to wrack her body as she felt the strength in her muscles go. Tariko was instantly at her side as she swept the other girl up into her arms and moved to escort her out of the library. As the others in Class 1-4 perked on seeing that, Ataru and several of the guys came over. "What the hell's going on?" he asked as Hiromi knelt down to comfort Mendō.

"Shūtarō-san is now engaged to marry Tobimaro-san's younger sister."

Eyes locked on Hiromi, and then the guys all exchanged looks. "We didn't even know the guy HAD a sister!" Megane said. "Did you know about this, man?"

"No," Mendō said in a voice of ashes. "But I will find out."

"Perhaps Onē-sama can assist in that end."

Eyes locked on Hiromi. "Would she?" Mendō asked.

"It's better to be safe than sorry," the reborn emperor advised.

He considered that, and then he nodded . . .

* * *

The clock tower . . .

"There, there . . . cry. Let it out, Shinobu-chan . . . "

"Why . . .?"

The belfry, which had been the location of the initial scene of the final adventure concerning Hensō and her "marriage" to Ataru when emissaries from the planet Elle had come to Tomobiki to find their queen's "fiancé" echoed with sobs and moans as a shivering woman clung tightly onto her classmate as she wept for another relationship soon to end beyond her control. In comparison to Tariko's brother, Mendō Shūtarō had seemed a lot safer in the long run. Hensō hadn't cared for the man outside of him being a friend and infrequent ally in keeping Ataru under her control, so Shinobu never really had anything to fear from that particular quarter. Atop that, the other girls in the district who had helped form the "Rosebuds" to ensure Mendō would never come together with Hensō were fan-girls at heart; especially after the incident in Onishuto when the truth about Ataru's "wife" had been exposed, the scion of Japan's richest family had tried to make a concerted effort to end his own womanising ways and make a relationship with Ataru's former girlfriend work out. But now . . . now . . .

Tariko sighed. "Rich folks don't think like normal folks do," she whispered as she gently stroked Shinobu's silky brown hair. "They don't really care about love. All they care about is making their wealth grow, protecting it from poachers, plus making business deals. Marriage is just another stupid business deal . . . "

A sniff. "He loves me . . . "

"Yeah, I can tell. It's hurting him bad."

Another sniff. "You're so nice to him . . . "

Tariko smirked. "Well, he has his problems, but he's an okay guy underneath it all," she said as she looked into Shinobu's tear-filled eyes. "Hell, in a way, he was a lot better off than me. Sure, his mom's a technophobe and his sister's a total loon, but they at least love him in their own weird way." A shake of the head. "Until I got this body and the powers that came with it, I could never be sure about my parents. And I never had sisters. A brother, but he died long before I could remember him and no one ever told me about the guy." A smirk. "'Sides, even if I had nightmares back on Okusei about actually falling in love with one of the guys in the class - Shūtarō, 'Toshi, 'Suke, 'Kira, 'Yuki or any of the others guys - I know that deep underneath it all, they sure as hell have much better home situations than I'll ever have."

"You've given up on them, haven't you? Your parents, I mean?"

"We're getting there. Last night at the Council, when Reigi – he's the boss of Oji-chan's bank – said that once either Hiromi or I were made Matriarch, we would have the power to override Obā-chan's will and unlock the trust funds she set for Ataru, I just _**felt**_ the lust for the money flow out from Baka Kā-san like a dry dock flooding to launch a ship!" Tariko chuckled. "And when Reigi said that once we became the Matriarch, we could _order_ the closing of accounts of those people we don't like without any objections, she freaked!" As Shinobu stared at her, Tariko winked. "Baka Tō-san and Baka Kā-san bank at Inshin. That's the main part of Toranoseishin Finances."

Shinobu gaped, and then she crossed her arms. "So how did she react?"

"Well, it didn't fully click in until Onē-san explained to Hiromi and I that we could literally make them both broke, not to mention foreclose on the mortgage of the house, thus literally kicking them off the property," Tariko noted.

The other girl's jaw dropped. "You're not going to do _that_, are you?"

"No, but the threat is now in the air and she's thinking about it," Tariko said as she moved to help Shinobu sit down on the worker's bench near the school bell. "Tō-san wants to simply ignore it and make it all go away. I always wondered why, but Onē-san told me before we went to bed that he's never really cared at all for all the crazy and secret things our ancestors have done for the people. He's only wanted a normal life as a normal person with a normal wife and normal kids." A shake of the head as she sat down beside her, and then she gazed at Shinobu. "Like you in a way."

A nod. "Guess I'm not really fit for a normal life." She then looked at her hands. "You know, as weird as this is going to sound, I was afraid that strength I started to show after Hensō came would go away once she left us once and for all. But it didn't. Negako-san told me on Monday that I had the ability to subconsciously use ki energy to amplify my strength and that my past 'steroid rages' were expressions of that." Shinobu then scowled. "Do you think that was the reason this happened?"

"You mean Shūtarō being engaged to Tobimaro's sister?"

"Hai?"

A hum. "Possibly. Were any of the Kuromegane or the Kurotenshi around when you talked to Onē-san about your powers?" she then asked.

Shinobu hummed, and then she nodded. "I think so."

Tariko then nodded. "Maybe this was in the works for some time. After all, their families have been feuding for ages. Perhaps one of the Kuromegane or one of the Kurotenshi overheard you and Onē-san talking about what you're capable of doing. They told the mothers, which probably made either of them go over and talk to the other idiot about accelerating this. Atop that, Hensō's gone, so the 'main' . . . " – she made finger-quotes – " . . . possible distraction to a marriage for Shūtarō is out of the way. In their eyes, you wouldn't factor into it. You're not of their social class, so they wouldn't care about you. End result . . . "

Shinobu blinked, and then she breathed out. "An omiai."

"Yeah."

"So what do I do?"

"Well, I don't know," Tariko breathed out as she gently grasped the other woman's hand. "The only thing I could advise is something you wouldn't do."

"Sleep with him, you mean?"

A nod. "Yeah. But then, there's the chance his family's lawyers might go after you, call you a gold digger and see to it you'd never be with him. Atop that, there's also his personal sense of honour working against him. He cares for you, but he also won't go against his parents." A shake of the head. "Poor guy's trapped . . . and there's no way out for him without making him go rōnin or something stupid like that."

A shake of the head. "I can't do that to him."

"No one could." A sigh. "I'm really sorry, Shinobu. You didn't deserve this."

Shinobu blinked, and then she squeezed her friend's hand. "Dōmo . . . "

The hatch leading into the clock tower belfry then opened, revealing Moroboshi Negako. "Ah, there you two are," the ninjutsu grandmaster – whom had been hired by the Principal as the new self-defence teacher for all the students at Tomobiki High – then stated. "Shinobu, do you feel comfortable enough to attend class today?"

Shinobu took a breath. "I'm sorry, Negako-san . . . "

"Do not apologise; Saeko's and Haruka's decision was totally unexpected either by yourself or by Shūtarō. Go get into your uniform; I will personally supervise your lesson today in the gymnasium. We will speak of this incident later."

Ataru's former girlfriend perked. "Eh?"

Negako smiled. "You are a person of great interest to Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi. That therefore places you under my protection. I will investigate this Asuka during the weekend while you are with Tariko and her siblings in Chiba. Now, come."

Shinobu blinked, and then she nodded. "Hai!"

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The formal tone of speech used by Hiromi and Mendō at the start was inspired by such scenes in the various books of Peter Albano's _Seventh Carrier_ series, published between 1983 and 1996. Of course, when speaking of the Emperor, the term **Tennō** (literally "Heavenly Sovereign") is always used; I used the English translation here.

2) **Mutsu-no-kuni** (Mutsu Province) and **Musashi-no-kuni** (Musashi Province) were two of Japan's classical imperial provinces. The former province encompassed the territories of the modern prefectures of Fukushima, Miyagi, Iwate and Aomori, plus the municipalities of Kazuno and Kosaka in Akita Prefecture. The latter province encompassed the territory of the Metropolis of Tōkyō, most of Saitama Prefecture and elements of Kanagawa Prefecture.

3) The **Kuromoroboshi** ("Black Shooting Stars") were my answer in _The Senior Year_ for the Moroboshi Clan to the **Kuromegane** ("Black Glasses") serving Mendō Shūtarō, the **Kuroko** ("Black Clothes," named after the "invisible" stagehands in traditional Japanese theatre) serving Mendō Ryōko and the **Kurotenshi** ("Black Angels") serving the Mizunokōji Clan (the name given to Tobimaro's bodyguards was my invention). **Fusegu Jinseiko** is the leader of the Kuromoroboshi; she first appeared in "Tag Race Mark Three."

4) After getting the chance to get the translated _Yatsura_ manga from the Internet, I took time to come up with names to the many unnamed female students that appeared in various episodes. **Obinata Hiromi** was first mentioned in the list of most beautiful students in the manga episode "Even Though I Wait for You" (manga episode #27); she's the girl with the headband in "The Bluebird of Happiness" (manga episode #280). **Yamagata Masako** was also mentioned in "Even Though I Wait for You"; she is the girl with side pigtails in "The Bluebird of Happiness." **Arakida Yui** was the girl who wished for a boyfriend in "Bluebird." **Chikanatsu Tomiko** was the ponytailed girl who received a ticket from Fujinami Ryūnosuke in "The Summer of Hamachaya" (manga episode #295).

5) The **Tarōzakura** is the living spiritual guardian of the Mendō Clan; it is a large sakura tree at the south end of the estate grounds in Tomobiki. It played a large role in the fourth movie _Lum the Forever_.

6) **Seiryōkuteki Tan****oshii**, **Katsudōteki Aijōa**, **Sōzōteki Yasashii** and **Geijutsuteki Kenmei** were the girls destined to become the girlfriends to Megane, Chibi, Perm and Kakugari respectively in _The Senior Year_; they had a cameo in "Spirit-War Tomobiki" and fully made their appearance in "The Bodyguards' Denouement." I based Tanoshii, Aijōa and Kenmei on the girls Megane, Chibi and Kakugari found themselves attracted to in the fourth _Yatsura_ movie, _Lum the Forever_. **Yumoa Reigi** first made his appearance in "Sakura's Class Reunion." I took names of two of the others who came to the Council for the Succession, **Yamagami Mamimi** and her brother **Akio**, from the first _Sister Princess_ anime series.

7) The **Rosebuds** first made their appearance in the anime episode "Goodbye Season" (anime episode #64), which was partially inspired by the manga episode "Ataru Calls It Quits" (manga episode #61).

8) Lum's wife, **Seu-P'ye Yesu-T'ek Hechnich'-Nut'yek** (childhood name **Kuhu**) is based on the _Koihime Musō_ version of Ryomō Shimei (childhood name "Ashe"), who first appeared in the third episode of the third anime series, _Shin-Koihime Musō Otome Tairan_.

9) For those who don't know, a **rōnin** is a master-less samurai (the term also is applied to those high school students who fail the Centre Test or the university entrance examination, as fans of _Love Hina_ would know).


	4. Shinobu's and Tariko's First Date

After gym class, the girls change room . . .

"You think it's because of your strength that the mothers pushed for this?"

"Maybe," Shinobu said as she allowed the hot water to soothe her muscles. Since no class that had Negako as an instructor was involved in after-school clean-up in the school building, the members of Class 1-4 could take their time and relax; they would clean up the gymnasium. Regardless of what people thought of Moroboshi Negako as a person, she was the most knowledgeable martial arts instructor alive in Japan; when you got a lesson in self-defence from her, you learned things about your body and mind you would never learn from even the most experienced "normal" instructor. "I'll be okay."

Momoe gave her a sympathetic smile as she reached over to squeeze her friend's shoulder. "So what are you going to do with Tariko now?" Kumiko, who was in the stall to Shinobu's right (when she faced the shower head), then asked.

Shinobu perked, and then her cheeks reddened. "Kumiko!" she gasped before looking around, and then she relaxed as she remembered where Tariko was right now.

As she had been part of the combination of souls deep within Ataru's mind for ten years, Tariko had gained a nearly-automatic knowledge of all the combat manoeuvres in Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū; she – along with Hiromi and Ataru – were taking an extra half-period after the end of class to practice more advanced movements while their classmates took extra long showers to recover from the workout they had just undergone. After that was done and everyone changed, the rest of Class 1-4 would go into the gymnasium to help with clean-up while the Moroboshi siblings took their showers; Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi agreed to do double-cleaning shifts in the school on Mondays and Wednesdays. After that was done, everyone would break for the day, Ataru would go and prepare for his date with Yui (now chatting with her friends about what they would do in a nearby stall) while Hiromi would go home and do her studies and Tariko . . .

_Hey! What DOES Tariko do at nights?_

Surprised to think that, Shinobu felt her cheeks redden before she sensed Momoe and Kumiko stare knowingly at her. A sigh later, she nodded. "Hai, there is that."

"Even if that body of hers is one I'd kill to have, that's a boy's brain inside it," Kumiko stated. "I know she can control herself pretty well, but I've caught her in the last couple of days staring at you when you're not looking, Shinobu. Almost as bad as Rumiko-chan was before she finally woke up to what she was. She loves you still, Shinobu. And with Mendō-san effectively out of the way now . . . "

"As a matter of fact, may I propose something to that end?"

All three turned as Tsuruya Rumiko came up to gaze at them. A woman with bobcut raven hair and deep brown eyes under reading glasses, she was the smartest student bar none in Metropolitan Tōkyō; the amount of scholastic awards she had won over the years would be enough to fill up their classroom. She was also as much of a loner in her own right as Inu Chigaiko had been forced to become over the previous four months since the Hallowe'en party when the Red Cloak had appeared and a long-dormant curse had reactivated itself to attack an unsuspecting target. Despite the fact that she was comfortable with her gender preference – and had loudly stated when the Avalonians (who were genetically _**bisexual!**_) first appeared that she now had discovered Heaven! – she was well-liked among her classmates due to her willingness to tutor those who were struggling with homework and class projects. She had also been part of the "secret peer guidance committee" founded by Mendō Shūtarō shortly after he had come to school for the first time, though she had joined out of needing to feel like she belonged somewhere and not out of some teenage lust for the class' richest student.

"What's that, Rumiko-chan?" Momoe then asked as she moved to shampoo her hair.

"A relationship between Shinobu-chan and Tariko-chan could work out in the long run," Rumiko said as she slipped off her glasses, which were steaming up from the hot water. "There's the friendship factor and the fact that as Ataru-kun, Tariko-chan did have a relationship with Shinobu-chan before Hensō ruined our lives." As her friends ruefully laughed, Rumiko stated, "The one thing blocking this now is the fact that Tariko-chan – despite still being pretty much a boy at heart – is a girl in body and has had to deal with girl issues like menstruation. Now, by the looks of it, Tariko-chan didn't get much of a chance to form any relationship with anyone when they were travelling on Okusei, so she'll be as inexperienced as this as Shinobu-chan will be in this matter. Therefore, I am willing to propose setting up a blind date for you."

Shinobu blinked. "With who?"

"Tazuna and Katsumi, the Nobushige twins."

Silence.

"_**TWO GIRLS?**_" all three of them screamed out.

Rumiko smirked. "Ladies, there is logic to my madness. Tazuna and Katsumi, like all the Avalonians who were assigned to this place to be there to assist our 'most faithful' with things like 'stress relief' . . . " – she rolled her eyes on mentioning that while the others grimly nodded – " . . . were expertly programmed replicas of their twin brothers. They're also quite different people in personality; Tazu-chan is very outgoing and willing to play around while Katsu-chan is very quiet and studious, your normal book-lover type. Atop that, their brothers were part of the teams that monitored Shinobu directly, so they're as familiar with her as any Avalonian in this town can be. And I'm sure they'll be more than happy to introduce you to what life as an Avalonian – which is something Tariko can't avoid either – is all about."

Shinobu blinked, and then she breathed out, "Rumiko-chan . . . "

Rumiko smirked as she turned away. "Just make sure I get them back in one piece, okay?" she said with a wink before she sauntered off to get changed.

Shinobu fell flat on her face. "_**RUMIKO!**_"

Momoe and Kumiko both roared with laughter . . .

* * *

After final clean-up . . .

"Again, I cannot express how sad I am about this, Shinobu-san."

Shinobu smiled before she leaned up to kiss Mendō on the cheek. He had just about boarded his private command car for the drive back to his home estate when Shinobu had emerged from the gymnasium. "Don't apologise, Shūtarō-san," she said as she shrugged. "You have a duty to perform. And much that this hurts, you can't ignore your family's wishes like Ataru-kun can now. I just hope this works out."

A sigh. "It is truly hard to say. I am pleased at least that Negako-san is willing to look into it." He then nodded. "Have a good weekend, Shinobu-san."

"Hai, you too."

With that, he boarded the car, and then the driver guided it away from the front gates. Watching him go, Shinobu frowned as she noted the tears in his eyes that he wouldn't publicly shed; no doubt, he would do as many men did and would wait until he was alone before allowing his emotions to vent themselves at having his life warped around like this. She then took a deep breath before turning to head towards her own home. Before she could get far, a voice called out from nearby, "Hey, Shinobu!"

She turned around, and then grinned. "Hi, Tariko!"

Tariko came up to her and both then turned to head towards the Miyake home. "So how was he?" the former then asked as they headed down the street.

"Sad. I think he's going to go home and cry for a while," the latter stated as she shifted her bag over into her other hand so she could grasp Tariko's free hand. Tariko perked on feeling that contact, and then she relaxed herself, grateful that Negako and Kyech had taught her back on Okusei how to better shield her mind from the rampant emotions of others. While the body had come somewhat pre-programmed to handle that sort of thing, it sometimes wasn't enough. "I hope he'll be alright."

"Oh, he'll be fine. If this Asuka's like Tobimaro, she should be okay, She'll have her own set of problems, but if they don't clash too much with Shūtarō's, it should work out." Tariko then winced. "Sorry . . . I don't mean to . . . "

"No, it's okay," Shinobu said as she gave her a reassuring look and a squeeze of her hand. "You gave me the chance to cry when we were in the clock tower." A sigh. "Yeah, it hurts a lot still, but maybe because I went through the break-up with Ataru-kun beforehand, I can handle this a little better than before."

"Not that we were much of a boyfriend to you."

"You had a reason to be that way, remember?"

"True, but we both still feel guilty about it."

A shake of the head. "Don't. Do what Ataru-kun said in class when Hiromi-san called in Jinseiko-san that one time. Put the past where it belongs and think about the future," Shinobu said as she leaned over to kiss Tariko on the cheek, which made the latter yelp in shock before she stared wide-eyed at her. "He was right, you know."

Tariko blinked, and then she smirked. "Some of the girls seem to think my future lies with you," she said as she gave her friend a look.

Shinobu gasped, and then yelped as her foot caught onto a crack in the sidewalk the wrong way, nearly making her fall flat on her face. Tariko's arms were quick to snare her before she hurt herself, and then she boosted the other girl up. On feeling that – and feeling warm inside by how quick Tariko had reacted to her – Shinobu blushed before she reached over and bopped the other woman on the head. "Hey!" Tariko yelped.

"Moroboshi Tariko, you did that on purpose!" Ataru's former girlfriend snapped. "What are you doing? Probing people's minds without their permission?"

"No. I however can sense emotions without touching people . . . and that's as much of an open book to me as a mind-probe," Ataru's twin then said as she put Shinobu down. "I could see the other girls glancing at me, then to you, when I got dressed. It didn't take me long to put two and two together to get four, you know!"

Shinobu blinked, and then she giggled. "Yeah, that's true! Sorry about that!" She then sighed as they turned down a street, still holding hands. Given that the Avalonians were now in the open – and that Tariko was herself an Avalonian despite her being a Terran still in her heart and soul – Shinobu didn't fear people looking at her the wrong way as they headed to the Miyake house. "So what do you think?"

"Well, there is some history with us," Tariko admitted. "I know I shouldn't feel this way, but I am a little scared, too."

"Why?"

A sigh. "I don't want to break your heart."

Shinobu blinked. "Does Ataru feel that way, too?"

A nod. "Yeah. You know, even if there were times he hated you, when he really came to wake up to how much he hurt you . . . HEY!"

_That_ was thanks to Shinobu nearly yanking Tariko off her feet by stopping, her eyes now wide with horror. "Ataru-kun HATES me?" she gasped.

Tariko moaned as she moved to make sure her shoulder joint was still intact. "I said, 'There were times he hated you!' Listen for once!" she snarled before cycling her arm to make sure a muscle or tendon hadn't been pulled. "You can guess when."

"The Rosebud thing, right?"

A nod. "Yeah. Much that I understand you were then protecting your claim on your guy, you jumped the gun before you realised what he wanted to do," Tariko said, and then she smirked. "Then again, 'Toshi did the same thing. Look what happened to him. False intelligence can get people killed if they're not careful."

Shinobu laughed, and then she sighed. "What does he feel for me?"

Tariko blinked, and then she took a deep breath. "He still loves you, but he's more afraid of hurting you again than I am," she admitted. "And if you ever want to go on a date with him while he's still dealing with the problem being with Kyech forced on him, he'll probably have a _platoon_'s worth of Avalonians with you as chaperones!" She then perked on sensing a couple of her sister bioroids approach, and then she turned before gaping. "Well, I'll be damned! Guess we got to update all the books!"

Shinobu giggled as the women dressed as freshmen attending the Shakkyo Private Vocational Institute – in Tariko's still-male eyes, of all the schools in Tomobiki, they had the sharpest school uniforms: Scarlet red tunics, white ascots, pink blouses, dark plaid skirts to just above their knees and white berets on their heads – approach them. Both were raven-haired with dark brown eyes, though one – Nobushige Katsumi, Tariko remembered thanks to Ataru's encyclopaedia-like knowledge of all the high school girls throughout Tomobiki – had glasses over her eyes and styled her hair in a partial ponytail behind the back of her head around the rest of the mass while her twin sister – she was Nobushige Tazuna – wore her hair loose and didn't need glasses. "Well, if you wish, Tariko-sama, we could compile all the updated information for those of us who go to Shakkyo and deliver it to yourself or Ataru-sama when you need it," Katsumi said.

A sigh. "Girls, cool it with the '-sama' bit, okay?" Tariko stated. "I know you feel it's being proper to us, but you acted normal before we found out about your masters and what they were doing here, so try to do it now, okay?"

The Nobushige twins blinked, and then exchanged a look before giggling. "Well, if you insist, Tariko-chan!" Tazuna then said as her eyes sparkled with delight. Watching her, Shinobu remembered what she learned about this girl from her best friend from that school. One of the most popular freshmen currently attending Shakkyo, Tazuna could easily bend a lot of her male peers to her will with just a look and a finger; there had actually been near-riots at that school by men who wanted to become her version of Lum's Stormtroopers. And even if she was the meeker and more quiet of the pair, Katsumi was also quite popular, especially with the more cerebral of her male peers. And being revealed to be alien-built bioroids hadn't seen their popularity drop at all; the staff at Shakkyo – which actually included two Avalonian _teachers!_ – were having a "Coming Out" celebration before the end of the current school term this month. "You busy tonight? Rumiko-chan asked us to go on a double-date with Shinobu-chan, but by the looks of it, you can use some companionship as well."

"Oh, I agree, Tazuna," Katsumi stated. "You're not busy tonight, are you?"

Tariko hummed, and then she gazed on Shinobu, who smiled in return. "Well, I can go for some nice karaoke after a good meal," she mused, and then she nodded. "The Dobu Salada, around six o'clock, okay. I need to get something set up."

The three other girls blinked. "What?" Shinobu asked.

A grin. "My secret."

And with that, she was off. The others watched her go, blinking, and then Shinobu giggled. "Well, that seems somewhat normal for Tariko."

Tazuna and Katsumi stared at her, and then they laughed . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi home, a half-hour later . . .

"_**EH? A DATE?**_"

"Hai, a date," Ataru said as he moved to finish his rice. "The girls in the class are getting upset at the guys not paying any attention to them. They're still pretty much in mourning over what happened to Hensō. So people like Momoe-chan are asking me to help make them jealous enough to make them pay attention. You ask me, it's the right thing to do, especially with the way the guys went ga-ga over Hensō like they did." He was already dressed in Noukiite traveller's clothing, one of several pairs that Kyech had got for him in the town of Nuup't'uch, which is where they had made landfall on Okusei after they had teleported in from Uru. Despite the pain he still felt in his heart by the Dragonspeaker's decision to not pursue any sort of permanent relationship with him – though it was for quite logical reasons; despite the skills he had inherited from Negako, Ataru wasn't anywhere near as durable as Kyech when it came to dealing with the more exotic things she often confronted – the clothes were in excellent shape, he felt more at home in them these days than in Terran styles of clothing and they were comfortable to him. And Yui had already been warned ahead of time; she was actually quite curious as to what had happened while he was on Okusei.

Then again, so was almost everyone else in Class 1-4.

"NO!" Kinshō snapped. "YOU WILL NOT . . .!"

_WHANG!_

"Oh, do be silent, Okā-san!" Hiromi snapped after she bashed the older woman with a skillet, which knocked her face first into the coffee table. "You were never there for Onii-san when he needed you the most, so don't expect him to respect a word you say about what he does with himself in the future!" She smiled at Ataru as Kinshō slowly staggered up. "Do have a wonderful time with Yui-san and Mari-san, Onii-san."

"Actually . . . "

The reborn emperor stared at him, and then she blinked. "_Yamato_?"

"Why not?"

Hiromi then smirked as she slipped her hand into her skirt pocket and pulled out a device similar to a ballpoint pen before tossing it over. "Thank you!" Ataru said in English before he headed to the entranceway to slip on his sandals and head out.

Tariko watched him go, and then she held out her hand. "Need it for my date, too, Hiromi. I'll go over to _Haida_ instead so Shinobu doesn't get it into her head to try to 'chaperone' what's going on with Ataru, Yui-chan and Mari-chan."

Another pen-like device flew into her hand. "Have fun."

"Thank you!"

"WAIT!" Kinshō gasped. "You're going on a date? With SHINOBU-CHAN?"

"Of course," Tariko said. "She is my friend and she just found out that Mendō Shūtarō is getting engaged to Mizunokōji Tobimaro's kid sister. She's feeling a little heartbreak, so I'm going to be the shoulder for her to cry on. What's it to you?"

"But . . . y-y-you're both g-g-GIRLS . . .!"

"Yeah, what about it?" Tariko asked. "I'm also bisexual and despite me having a girl's body, I still feel I'm a guy deep down! It's natural for a guy to date a girl unless he was born gay!" She then gave her mother a pouting look. "Ah, what's the matter, Kā-san?" she said in a mocking voice. "You couldn't get rid of me through Shinobu, so you tried to get rid of me through Hensō. Pity it never worked out!"

Kinshō recoiled as Tariko moved to head to her bedroom to get changed and head out on her date, and then she spun on Muchi, who was reading the evening edition of the _Yomiuri_. "Dear, say something! Did you hear what YOUR daughter just said to me?"

"She's right, you know."

Silence.

"What . . .?"

Muchi sighed. "We HAVE been trying to get rid of Ataru – and by extension, Tariko – ever since Kaeru-chan died," he said. As Kinshō turned pale – both Hiromi and Negako were still at the table and hearing this – her husband shook his head. "Enough! Negako told them the truth about Kaeru-chan when they were on Okusei and wanted to know why we acted like we did to them over the years." He shook his head. "They've got a right to be angry. We DID want to see Ataru – _**our only surviving child!**_ – out of the house, especially after Hensō came into our lives! And you wonder why they're threatening to move out AND make public every time you've said awful things to him?" Shaking his head, he turned to his paper, leaving his wife staring at him.

Negako remained calm, and then she sipped the rest of her tea. "I'll be off to the Mizunokōji estate, Hiromi. Do not expect me to return until late tomorrow morning."

"Be careful, Onē-sama," Hiromi bade.

The ninjutsu grandmaster smiled at her. "Hiromi, remember who you are speaking to," she advised before she got to her feet and moved to head out.

"Why are you going there?" Muchi asked.

"To observe and analyse Mizunokōji Asuka, Shūtarō's just-revealed fiancée," Negako stated. "Both Tariko and Hiromi expressed concern about the suddenness of his being engaged to someone he has never met, much less never knew of, so I will seek that information out and ensure that if this engagement can happen, it will happen with as little difficulty as possible." She then gazed at him. "Muchi, do think of this: Even to her death, Nagaiwakai respected your desire to have a 'normal' life." She ignored the hissed intake of breath from Kinshō on mentioning her late mother-in-law. "But she had her obligations as well; that is the reason she wished to take control over Ataru's upbringing even after Kaeru died. And regardless of her personal opinions towards Kinshō, she did respect that you loved and still love her."

With that, she headed to the genkan and slipped on her shoes to head out. Muchi lowered his paper as he watched her go, and then lowered his eyes. He and his wife both then perked on hearing Hiromi say, "Otō-san, you and Okā-san are not the only ones who have been forced to experience the death of their children at such a young age."

Both of them gazed on Hiromi, who was rising from her table. "Hiromi-chan . . .!" Kinshō breathed out as the reborn emperor walked towards her bedroom.

Hiromi stopped to look back at them. "History records the names of only three of my _**thirteen**_ children that I was the father to," she said. "Of my thirteen children, ten never got to see their fifth birthday. Of the remaining three, one never got to see his twentieth birthday. Only two made it to adulthood. So do not think you are alone in understanding such pain. You will _never_ equal what I experienced."

And with that, she headed off, leaving two wide-eyed parents behind . . .

* * *

The Dobu Salada Inn, a half-hour later . . .

"Tariko-chan! Over here!"

Tariko blinked as she passed through the doors of the two-floor café – why on Earth someone would call this place "Sewer Salad" was something _totally_ beyond her – and then she smirked on seeing the three women waving to her. "Yo!" she called out as she walked over, only to find her path blocked by a very large mass. She then blinked before looking up, and then she sighed. "What the hell do you want, Unbaba?"

The large, dark-skinned and very muscular man now looming over her jerked as he felt her stare rake over him, and then – much to the surprise of the other people in the room, who all knew of Unbaba Tetsu's reputation as one of Tomobiki's toughest fighters – he moved to wave his hands in a peaceful gesture. "Hey, hey! It's cool, Tariko-san! It's cool!" he said, and then chuckled. "I . . . well, I . . .!"

"We just want to apologise for what happened when everyone heard your bro' was quittin' being class rep at school, Tariko-chan," a voice called out from behind her.

Tariko looked over her shoulder, and then she sighed. "It's okay, guys," she mused, inwardly smirking at the fact that Tetsu and the Nyōke twins, Hitori and Futari – the pair were nicknamed the "Franken Twins" due to their pale skin and near-similarity to the creature (in essence, a bioroid in his own right) created by a man named Frankenstein in the novel of the same name by Mary Shelley written in 1818 – were coming to apologise to _her_ in lieu of Ataru. Then again, given the way street toughs like these guys normally thought, they no doubt feared that given that he was just as skilled as Negako was, Ataru would gladly seek vengeance for the attempt by them – at the behest of the Rosebud leadership – to pound him into silly putty that one time. And if they approached Hiromi . . .? Well, even if she still really didn't have a clue about what tōshi were like, from what Mifune Hideyuki's magazines hinted at, those people weren't pushovers. "Just don't butt into our lives anymore, alright? We got enough issues now without dealing with anyone else's problems."

"That's cool," Futari – you could tell the twins apart by the position of the warts on their necks, which resembled the charging heads on Frankenstein's creation – said as the three street fighters all nodded in understanding. "See ya around."

They went off. Tariko watched them, and then shook her head before walking over to join Shinobu and the Nobushige twins. "Are all the Rosebuds feeling the same way as those three?" she asked as they stepped into the queue to get their order.

"Hai," Tazuna said. "Then again, do you blame them? Negako-sama really gave an incredible demonstration of all her skills on Monday after our former 'masters' were taken away. When she said Ataru-kun has them, too, that gave them nightmares."

"You're not angry at them, are you?" Shinobu wondered.

A shake of the head. "No, not really. The Rosebuds are just typical fan-girls deep down. Even if they're the toughest of the lot from their schools, they wouldn't really stand up to some of the garbage we went through on Okusei."

Shinobu frowned. "We should have been there for you . . . "

Tariko squeezed her friend's shoulder. "Kyech didn't feel it was safe for you, especially with the bandit problem in the Outmarches," she said. "Atop that, you couldn't stay on Uru. You and the others were kidnapped from your homes when Kamen talked Hensō into trying to pull a fast one on Elle. The sooner you were sent home, the better; you could've been made hostages by Hensō's old man to force Ataru back to face whatever 'justice' they might have demanded for our 'hurting his precious baby' like that. Remember how fast they were willing to start a war over who'd marry us?"

Shinobu nodded. "Yes, that would bother you." She then giggled. "I wonder what's happening with them right now. They can still try to reach us through the Warp Chamber on Triton, you know. They have the coordinates to Ataru-kun's closet, not to mention the equipment closet in our classroom at school, remember?"

"Well, if they try that, Onē-san will be the first to sense it," Tariko assured her. "She laid ki traps in those places, not to mention where Damasu parked her scoutship, to warn her ahead of time if Mienai decides to pull something. Besides, the Empress of Noukiios has promised she'll push forward some trade deals with Oyuki's father Fuyu to dissuade them from listening to anything from Onishuto, even Fat Boy Invader or any of the Imperials that are in the government like Rei's uncle Yethis." A shrug. "And if worse comes to worst, we send anyone that comes out way back to Triton a head shorter." As Shinobu stared wide-eyed at her, Ataru's twin sighed. "I don't like it, but the Niphentaxians kinda proved how fanatic people out there can be."

A nod, and then they stepped up to make their order with the counter staff. As Tariko waited for Shinobu, Tazuna and Katsumi to call out for what they wanted, her eyes narrowed as a sense of unease flowed through her from the direction of the doorway leading to the basement, which in this place was where the food storage rooms were located. Frowning, she then blinked as a jolt of surprise – followed by the throbbing steady feeling of someone who was planning something ugly – flooded her from somewhere to her left. A glance out of the corner of her eye – Negako taught them all how to watch things without being obvious – revealed a man with black hair and dark brown hair staring at her, surprise on his face. It was clearly false; he was acting as if he was genuinely stunned to see one of the Moroboshi siblings at his establishment.

_ Pity my empathy tells me something different, boyo!_ Tariko thought as she moved to make her order, drawing out her wallet – she now had access to a general allowance fund that had been set up by her grandmother and uncle to tide Ataru (and now Tariko and Hiromi) over until they moved to university; Yumoa Reigi had full control over the funds, which ensured neither of Ataru's parents could get their hands on the money, which had been allowed to grow nicely over the years collecting interest – to pay for hers and the others' orders. _Atop that, you're not Japanese. I can tell you're Korean from here. So where are you from?_ she asked herself as the payment was made.

Everyone headed to the second floor; Shinobu had been given a marker to alert the waitresses as to which order went where. As they took a window seat – ironically, the very seat Shinobu sat in when she had her meeting with the heads of the Rosebuds the day she moved to "stop" her ex-boyfriend from quitting being the representative for Class 1-4 on the Tomobiki High student council – Katsumi asked, "What's wrong?"

Tariko blinked. "Something weird's going on here."

Shinobu tensed. "What?"

A shake of the head, and then Tariko reached over with her hand to gently grasp Shinobu's. The latter then blinked as she "heard" her companion's voice in her head, «Don't know. But I sensed someone I think is a Korean in the kitchen downstairs.»

Shinobu blinked. "But . . . "

«Relax, Shinobu. Think your answers out; I can 'hear' you.»

The other woman stared at Tariko, and then she nodded as she felt Tazuna reach over to take her other hand, her other hand grasping Katsumi's. _Tariko, there are thousands of Koreans living in Japan. Many of them here in Tomobiki; we have Korean schoolmates, remember? What's wrong with one working here?_ she mentally "asked."

«Not when they look at you and start planning something ugly.»

All three of the other woman tensed. «Like what?» Katsumi asked.

«Don't know. But it doesn't feel good to me. I know the difference between someone wanting to get to know me as a friend or something more . . . and someone wanting to do me harm. Learned it the hard way on Okusei, both before and after I got out of Ataru's head.» Tariko then relaxed herself as a waitress came up with a tray holding their food, the others also sitting back as it was served. "Dōmo."

"Hai," the waitress said with a smile.

Up close, Tariko was quick to sense something _way_ off about this girl's ki field. Relaxing herself – though she kept a mask of gratitude for the other woman's attention – she felt herself mentally reach into the other's body . . .

The feeling that came out of her made her blink. _She's a . . .?_

"Please enjoy your meal," the waitress then said, bowing to them.

She then headed off. "What was it?" Katsumi then hissed.

Tariko smirked as she took up her sundae and sipped it. "Later."

The others all nodded . . .

* * *

Later . . .

"EH? AN ANDROID?"

Tariko nodded as she and her companions all relaxed in one of the town parks, sipping coffee they got from a vending machine. Despite it being early March, the weather wasn't cold; they were wearing warm jackets, but nothing else such as tuques, mittens or leg-warmers. "Yeah," Tariko said. "She looked perfectly human, but her ki signature wasn't ANYWHERE near human." A sip of her coffee, and then she gazed at Tazuna and Katsumi. "Girls, did the Niphentaxians ever import androids from Zeiwan?"

The twins shook their heads. "No, Tariko-chan. After all, they had _us_, remember?" the latter then said as she adjusted her glasses, and then she sipped her coffee. "And I know current Earth technology wouldn't allow something so life-like to be built. I have read the stories of the Steel Angels from the Taishō era, but they were partially constructed by magical means. Your magical societies are pretty much separated from normal societies, so they wouldn't be magical androids or gynoids."

"Unless it was some secret society behind it," Tazuna noted. "After all, our brothers and the others did detect the presence of various local groups that were observing events in Tomobiki, possibly even knowing of our presence in town." She then sipped her on coffee. "So if it's that, who are they and what do they want?"

"Good question," Tariko mused.

"Could it be something innocent?" Shinobu asked.

Ataru's twin hummed. "That's a strong possibility. After all, despite what a lot of Western writers and television producers like to make, we're not so shy on the idea of having artificial sentient beings living amongst us. Look how people reacted when Onē-san's existence was finally confirmed." As Shinobu nodded, Tariko took a deep breath. "So there is that possibility. But there was something else I sensed in the restaurant, coming from the doorway leading to the basement there when we were waiting to make our orders. Something that didn't feel right. It was very uncomfortable, almost in pain . . . " A shake of her head. "Damn! I could go check it out, but I don't have Onē-san's patience, training or willingness to totally submerge my mind into the ley lines of Earth to help augment all my senses. And Onē-san's going to be busy checking out this Asuka girl this weekend." She then perked before gazing at the twins. "How many people from Shakkyo go to that place?" she then asked.

"Almost all of us; it's considered the main hang-out for Shakkyo, Sanrinbō and Taian," Katsumi provided. The Sanrinbō Institute and the Taian Commercial Institute were two of the other high schools in Tomobiki beyond Tomobiki High, Shakkyo, Butsumetsu High School and the all-girls Butsumetsu Girl's Academy where Seiryōkuteki Tanoshii and her friends went to school. "There are sixty-six Avalonians attending all three schools as students with seven more as teachers. We could have them pass through the Dobu Salada to scan the waitresses and staff there to see what's going on."

Tariko nodded. "Ask only those who are _willing_ to help out, Katsumi-chan. People who feel comfortable doing that sort of silent scan. This isn't time for amateur night, okay?" she asked. "Until then, try to keep news of this . . . "

She then blinked as her eyes turned up to the heavens. "What?" Shinobu asked.

A moan. "I am such a moron!" Ataru's twin spat out.

"Hey, guys! What's going on?"

Everyone turned as four familiar people came up to them, all either holding cans of coffee or soft drinks. "Ah, just the man I'm looking for, 'Toshi!" Tariko said as she got up and walked over to join the Stormtroopers. "How'd you boys like to help out in a little bit of brainstorming over something we just discovered at the Dobu Salada?"

The four boys tensed, quickly sensing that whatever Ataru's twin was talking about, she considered it a potential threat. "What did you discover?" Megane asked.

"I better get you somewhere where you can better understand it, first," Tariko said as she pulled out the device Hiromi had given her. Tapping the top of it, she called out, "Moroboshi to _Haida_. Naoko-chan, you up there?"

"Naoko is currently in her rest cycle period, Tariko-sama," a female voice with a lilting Hokkaidō accent called back. "Is there something the matter?"

Tariko chuckled. "Tomomi, how the hell can you tell the difference between Hiromi and me?" she asked as Shinobu and the Nobushige twins walked over to join them.

"Your speech patterns are quite similar to your brother's, Tariko-sama. Hiromi-sama speaks as a normal woman does, though she is very polite when she does speak," the woman then called back. "How may I be of assistance this evening?" she asked.

"Lock a materialiser on myself and everyone within two metres of me, then beam us up to the captain's cabin," Tariko ordered as she winked at the Stormtroopers, all of whom were suddenly gaping at her. "I think it's high time I showed my friends what Tsukihana-kun and Ayami-chan were so nice to construct for us."

"Hai. System will be energized in ten seconds."

"Holy shit!" Perm gasped. "What the hell did you guys do?"

"Well, 'Suke, we can't claim any credit for this . . . "

A ringing noise echoed as a swirling shower of energy whisked them away . . .

* * *

Five hundred kilometres in orbit over Tōkyō . . .

. . . and then allowed them to appear in a glass dome structure with a black sky full of stars – and well away from the aura of city lights – overhead.

" . . . so we won't," Tariko calmly finished as footsteps echoed from a nearby stairwell, which made everyone turn as someone in a plain white jumpsuit came up from a lower deck. "Ah, Tomomi-chan!" she then called out as Tazuna and Katsumi looked over, both gazing with curious stares at the blue-eyed woman with caramel brown hair tied in a high ponytail that stretched to her waist, radiating such innocence and purity that the Stormtroopers – who had long fallen into the habit of comparing ANY girl they met to Hensō – found themselves not able to recall _anything_ about the Avalonian-born Oni.

"Konban wa, Tariko-sama," the girl said with a polite bow, and then her eyes focused on Tariko's classmates. "Shinobu-sama, Satoshi-sama, Kōsuke-sama, Akira-sama, Hiroyuki-sama." She then smiled on seeing the Nobushige twins. "Greetings, sisters. Welcome aboard the United Nations Earth Defence Force starship _Haida_. I am Yoshino Tomomi, one of the volunteer crewmembers currently manning this ship."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"This is a _**STARSHIP?**_" Megane gasped.

Tariko smirked. "Not the only one, 'Toshi. Look to your left."

The Stormtroopers, Shinobu, Tazuna and Katsumi looked in that direction . . .

"Holy shit!" Kakugari breathed out.

"Am I seeing this?" Chibi demanded.

"That is so fuckin' AWESOME!" Perm declared.

Floating a distance away was a spaceship shaped like a long cigar, though flattened from the top and bottom, with a two-pronged fork-shaped bow similar to the business ends of the Earth Defence Directorate star fighters from the television series _Buck Rogers in the 25th Century_, ending in twin black jet exhausts put together side-by-side. A large bulge with obvious launch and landing pads similar to the flight pods capital ships of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol in the recently reimaged _Battlestar Galactica_ television series carried – not deployed on pylons, the four men in the group (who, like most Japanese males of their age, saw themselves as experts on things of a military nature) were quick to note – was centred on the side of the hull, their overall length about half that of the main hull. Sticking up from the main hull were two massive block-like superstructures, somewhat streamlined, set in a fore-and-aft formation like what would be seen on most surface warships these days. A longer single structure was fitted to the ship's keel amidships, ending in smaller engine clusters aft. A large hangar-like structure was fitted to the top rear superstructure, an open deck sticking out towards the main engine exhausts. Sensor vanes stuck out from every free surface space on the hull, though they were concentrated on a "foremast" sticking up from the forward upper superstructure, a "mainmast" from the aft upper superstructure close to the upper hangar deck, a "jack staff" near the bow, an "ensign staff" near the stern, plus a "keel mast" amidships below the lower superstructure.

Even more – much to the delight of the Stormtroopers, the gaping disbelief of Shinobu and the nodding approval of the Nobushige twins – this ship was visibly armed for a brawl. Bristling from positions forward, on the wings both forward and aft alongside of the superstructures, and aft around the fantail in virtually the same pattern as a dreadnought battleship from before World War One – though covering BOTH the ship's underside as well as the topside – were spheroid turrets, each armed with three long-barrelled guns, now being held at a forty-degree angle from the long axis of the ship. They were in clusters of three turrets, either two turrets above and one below the main hull, or one turret above and two below, alternating in such a way that any angle of attack could be realistically covered with a minimum of _**nine**_ long guns. Even more, them were _quadruple_ the amount of smaller triple-gun mounts, no doubt for anti-fighter or anti-small ship defence. And there were the signs that there were missile launchers, both large ones for anti-ship/anti-surface use and smaller ones to augment the anti-aircraft artillery this starship could use on any potential attacker.

And the best part of it all . . .

The ship was painted the light blue of the _United Nations_, with the wreathed globe insignia of the world organisation on the flanks aft of amidships.

Even better, there was a white **24** – a hull classification symbol/pendant number like what was used on surface warships the world over – under what appeared to be the main bridge of this ship . . . and to the total surprise and joy of the Stormtroopers and the disbelief of Shinobu, a _very_ familiar set of three hiragana symbols close to the main engine exhausts, that under a six-character word in Roman script.

"_Yamato_ . . .!" Megane breathed out.

"Damn . . .!" Chibi exhaled.

"This beats the television series – hell, this beats even what the _Urusians_ had! – fifty ways from Sunday!" Perm exclaimed. "Tariko, how the hell did you . . .?"

Tariko chuckled. "It wasn't any of us, guys!" She then turned to Tomomi. "So where are those two little geniuses, Tomomi-chan?" she asked.

"Tsukihana-sama is currently in the operations room doing modifications to the targeting sensor systems," Tomomi helpfully explained with a friendly smile. "Ayumi-sama is down in the main computer core ensuring the automated fire-control systems are fully operational in case a potential enemy force probes into the system. Per Hiromi-sama's orders, a full sensor watch is standing on all ships in the Force."

Tariko nodded. "Okay, then we'll . . .!"

"HOLY SHIT! There's another one beyond _Yamato_!"

Everyone turned on hearing Kakugari's cry, and then they looked to see another starship – a sistership of _Yamato_'s, though this one had **72** written on her flanks and she was too far away to read the name on her fantail – appear from behind the namesake to Imperial Japan's penultimate battleship. "Which one is that?" Megane demanded.

"That is the _Arizona_, Satoshi-sama," Tomomi helpfully answered. "If you will look to starboard, you will see the _Paekbŏm_ and the _Zhèng Hé_ beyond her. Along with _Haida_, those ships constitute the North Pacific Division of the Earth Defence Force, specifically representing the Dominion of Canada, the State of Japan, both the Republic and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, the United States of America and both the People's Republic and the Republic of China." She then gave them a kind smile.

Everyone looked to their right to see two more starships – again sisters of _Yamato_ and _Arizona_ – looming in the near distance. The one closest to them had number **45** on the hull and _Paekbŏm_ over two han'gŭl blocks at the aft end. The ship beyond that had **29** on her hull, though she was too far away to see the name written at the aft end, though there were obviously two hànzì under the Roman letters. Finally, on noticing that the Earth herself was behind them – not to mention the thick shark fin-like mast of the upper forward sensory array – they walked to the edge of the dome to gaze down, finding themselves right over the main bridge of _Haida_, who had number **215** written on the forward slope of the main hull ahead of what naval personnel would designate "A" turret, with "B" turret superfiring over it closer to the bridge.

"Damn . . .!" Perm gasped, shaking his head in awe. "Where the hell were these ships built? Did the Noukiites build them for us?"

"No, 'Suke, the Noukiites didn't build these ships for us," Tariko said as she waved the others with her to the stairwell. "Let's go down to the ops room and I'll introduce you guys to the two bright geniuses who did all this work for us."

"How many have you got?" Megane asked.

"Fifty," Tariko answered.

"_**AWESOME!**_" the Stormtroopers all whooped as one.

Shinobu and the Nobushige twins all laughed on hearing that . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Okusei** (in Noukiite, _Ok'u-ch'ehek_) is the capital planet of the Imperial Outmarches (a total of twenty habitable worlds scattered across sixty light-years of space). It is Noukiios' oldest colony world, having been settled over five hundred years ago. In _The Senior Year_, the world (along with two others) was disputed between Noukiios and Uru; the Ip'ihu (outcastes) were based on this planet.

2) The other high schools located in Tomobiki were effectively introduced in the anime episode "Goodbye Season." Shinobu's best friend from that school was given the name "Yumi" (according to a former pen-friend of mine); she is the raven-haired girl who was seated across from Shinobu herself at the Dobu Salada restaurant. This is also the same episode where **Unbaba Tetsu** and the **Franken Twins** first appeared.

3) The total number of children the Emperor Líng of Hàn had in his first life is not known. Three of them who did make it to the history books include two sons (Liú Biàn, the Prince of Hóngnóng; and Liú Xíe, the Xiàoxiàn Emperor of Hàn) and a daughter (the Princess Wànnián, real name unknown). However, it is documented that there were many other children who were born from Emperor Líng through his many concubines.

4) **Zeiwan** is a planet that was introduced in _The Senior Year_; characters from this world appeared in "Darling's Other Girlfriend" and "Great Father Ataru Stage Five: Rescue." The natives are golden-skinned humanoids who suffered through the Atomic Wars over two hundred years ago. They created sentient androids as a way of helping their planet rebuild from that near-holocaust. They are also a very capitalistic society.

5) In recent works, I had Kurumi of _K__ōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi_ be the one who gave the _Saikō Jinseijutsu_ the name "Negako" (which means "child of wishes").


	5. Shūtarō's Angels

_Haida_'s main operations room – which other navies would address as a "combat information centre" – was located directly in the centre of the upper forward superstructure, four decks down from the main bridge level. Fortunately for the visitors, the ship – which was 1,072 metres from bow tips to the aft edge of her main engine exhaust ports – was well-connected by turbolifts, not to mention stairs that could be used in case the turbolift system broke down. The visitors were quick to note that the ship was also heavily compartmented and sealed from potential exposure to outside vacuum; the operations room, which was a space as big as any of the classrooms at Tomobiki High School, had sealable doors both forward and aft, plus was protected by six inches of layered walls made of both metal and other materials similar to the laminated ceramic armour used these days on main battle tanks. The room itself, which is where the ship's command team would control her in battle operations, had work stations for a staff of fifty, though only ten of the lovely Avalonians who had been assigned to this ship – Yoshino Tomomi being one of them – were currently present.

Also there with them as they relaxed around the central plotting table was a man looking as if he should be in the sixth grade of elementary school. Dressed like his companions in a plain white jumpsuit – though in his case, he had an armband around his left sleeve with the words **VOLUNTEER EARTH DEFENCE FORCE** in kanji – he had dark red hair cut in a military style, with deep green eyes peeking out of his youthful face. He had a magatama earring on him, which was shaded green, thus marking him as an "E-rank" among tōshi, which would be seen by others as a beginner fighter.

"So you encountered androids at this restaurant, Onē-san?" Ki Tsukihana asked.

Tariko – who had taken the admiral's chair at the aft end of the plotting table, which gave her a perfect view of all the stations, not to mention the main view screen on the forward bulkhead – nodded. All the others sat at the other chairs surrounding the table, with Tsukihana himself at the port aft corner. "Her ki wasn't human at all, Tsukihana. Add that to the Korean guy I saw in there . . . "

"Possible North Korean intelligence operation," the younger man concluded.

A sigh. "Possibly."

He nodded. "Okay, let's get the scanners working."

His fingers flew over the touch-sensitive keypad before him. On the plotting table, a hologram of Tomobiki appeared. A spheroid targeting icon materialised over midtown. Tsukihana guided it with his finger over a touch-mouse control to have it hover over the Dobu Salada, which was pointed out by Katsumi. Once the icon was allowed to encompass the restaurant, Tsukihana tapped controls to commence a detailed scan. "Okay, let's wait for it," he then said as he sat back in his chair, and then he perked as a mug of tea appeared before him. "Mō! Junko-chan, you're spoiling me!"

"I am simply ensuring – per Hiromi-sama's and Ayami-sama's instructions – that you consume the proper amount of food and drink you require in maintaining an acceptable level of good health, Tsukihana-sama," Asami Junko stated. A girl four centimetres shorter than Tomomi, she had dark brown eyes under reading glasses and long brown hair tied in side-by-side French braids to her hips. Like Tomomi, Junko had a northern accent to her voice, though she spoke like a native of Akita, not Hokkaidō.

Tsukihana sighed, though he did sip his tea. "You're a slave-driver!"

"And you must stop skipping meals," Junko chided, acting like any big sister anywhere in Japan despite the crispness of her voice, which marked to the Nobushige twins that she had just been recently activated. "Not to mention taking the habit of consuming a snack between meals to ensure your blood glucose levels are maintained. You do not wish to develop a case of non-insulin dependent diabetes mellitus."

"Hai . . .!" he drawled.

"So why did you build these ships in the first place?" Megane asked.

Tsukihana took a deep breath. "I was kidnapped three years ago – along with my parents – by the Ipraedies. Have you ever heard of them?"

"They're the reason the Urusians came to push the Tag Race on us," Perm said.

"Well, a year after I was dragged to Ipraedos – and after my parents were both killed while they were being interrogated by their Information Service agents to better understand what Terrans were like – I met up with Ayami, got help from locals who were sympathetic, then escaped." Hakaru Ayami had come up from the main computer core to meet everyone before she had gone off to bed. Like Tsukihana, the girl with the long caramel hair in a ponytail and the deep blue eyes – had she remained on Earth, Ayami would be in the last semester of her second year of middle school – had a green magatama earring hanging off her lobe. She announced she was going to bed after finishing the diagnostics she had run on the main computer core; like Tsukihana, they lived full-time on _Haida_ as neither had immediate living family on Earth. "We both travelled to a world near Spotak as way of doing a wide circle to get back to Earth and make sure the Ipraedies couldn't track us down. The second planet of the Den'sha system; a normal Class D rock in space. There, we found this."

With that, he tapped controls. The hologram of Tomobiki vanished, replaced with the image of what appeared to be a massive spacedock; a smaller icon shaped like _Haida_ – which had been identified by Tsukihana as a "Type One star battleship" – next to it to give the general scale. The spacedock, which looked like a mad collage of spires and domes around a central oval hull with multiple docking ports, could easily swallow up all of Metropolitan Tōkyō and have room for New York City and Greater London to boot! "It had been abandoned by the race that made the Avalonians possible; they're known as the Sagussans. Atop that, there was a considerable fleet of abandoned ships there, including pretty massive battleships that even make what we built look like toys." A sigh. "With a little luck, we got the spacedock working, then came up with the Type One design. We got fifty of them built by the time we got news of the Tag Race through the Intergalactic News Network – Zeiwan's not too far away from the Den'sha system – so we hurried it up as best we could, got them out of the docks and brought them here. We met with Hiromi-onēsama and her relatives on Monday morning, then got the ships in orbit. Not to mention decided on all their names and numbers."

"Did you bring the dockyard with you?" Tazuna asked.

A shake of the head. "We know about the Grand Design thing to start up a new race on Sagussa these days, Tazuna-san. We felt it wasn't right to take away what they could use to defend themselves, so we sent everything back there before we came here."

"'Grand Design?'" Shinobu asked.

"It's a project that saw to it genetic samples from 100,000 recently-deceased women from over two dozen humanoid societies over a period of ten millennia were obtained by a Type 61 super-dreadnought battleship/carrier left over from the Fourth Republic, then brought back to a birthing unit on Sagussa quite similar to the factory that created all of us," Katsumi explained, ignoring the knowing looks that had crossed Tariko's and Tsukihana's faces on her small lie concerning what – or rather _who_ – had actually been obtained for the Grand Design during that long period of time. "The reason why recently-deceased people were chosen was to make sure their parent societies would never learn what was going on." And _that_, the twins, Ataru's twin and the young inventor knew, was a massive lie; again they would stay quiet about it. "Now there's a sufficient and diverse number of _daishi'cha_ – that's Sagussan for 'great birth mothers' – they will go to seek out potential fathers to help them have their own children. Such people would be known as _daimon'cha_ – 'great birth fathers' – in that case. The amount of _daishi'cha_ are enough to prevent future inbreeding problems down the road, though we don't know what the current status of that project is."

"Why didn't they come rescue you from the Niphentaxians if they had ships as big as that?" Megane demanded as he pointed to the hologram displaying _Haida_'s birthplace.

"They have what is called a 'non-interference directive,' which is just like the Prime Directive you see on _Star Trek_, Satoshi-kun," Tazuna stated. "Once our former masters under Elder Ganzo discovered the factory and began to incorporate our people into their society – regardless of how it was done – it was probably felt back on Sagussa that ripping us away would cause too much trauma on both sides."

The Stormtroopers all nodded. "But what of these ships?" Perm asked. "Won't they get mad at Tsukihana and Ayami-chan for using their spacedock to build them?"

"That's why we sent their fleet and spacedock back," Tsukihana explained.

"Good neighbour policy, you mean," Kakugari mused.

"Hai." A _ding!_ was then heard. "Ah, the scan's done!"

He tapped controls to bring up the image of the building holding the Dobu Salada, showing an "x-ray" image that displayed the inner rooms. Everyone leaned in to take a look. "Looks like a normal restaurant . . . hey! Wait a minute!" Megane then said, pointing. "Can you clear away everything but the basement?" he asked.

"Just a sec'," Tsukihana said as he keyed controls.

The upper floors in the hologram were taken away, showing just the basement level. "Now, that doesn't look normal," Kakugari mused. "Yeah, there're the storage spaces for the food, but what's here?"

He indicated the largest room in the basement. "It's clearly a storage room and first-like maintenance facility for androids. Right now, there are forty units there, all gynoids," Tsukihana stated. On sensing the confused looks from the Stormtroopers, he added, "That's the term for human-like robots shaped like women."

The four boys all nodded. "So why would a normal restaurant employ gynoid workers? And where did the technology come from?" Shinobu asked.

"According to the detailed analysis, the technology is definitely Zeiwanite in origin," Tsukihana stated. "And quite up-to-date technology, too. But I've been running life sign scans on Tomobiki ever since we made orbit. As of now, save for the aliens that are allowed to live there by permission of either the government in Tōkyō or the Men in Black, everyone who lives in Tomobiki are either Terran or Avalonian."

The others all considered that for a moment. "Your suspicion's probably right, Tariko-chan," Katsumi stated. "This must be some sort of move on the part of the North Koreans to learn more about what's been going on in Tomobiki."

"How'd you conclude that, Katsumi-chan?" Perm asked.

"Quite simple, Kōsuke-kun. You've never known this, but there were many local intelligence groups observing events in Tomobiki while Hensō was living here. Most of them were from all the major intelligence and law enforcement agencies worldwide on Earth. The American CIA, the Russian SVR, the British SIS, the French DGSE, the German BND, the Israeli Mossad, the Chinese GAB, the South Korean KCW . . . and all hosted and working with the Public Security Intelligence Agency in Japan. Yet one group that _wasn't_ there . . . "

"The North Korean State Security Department," Tariko immediately concluded. "Or the Special Operations Brigades of the Korean People's Army."

"Hai."

"But there are a lot of Koreans in Japan," Shinobu noted.

"Including those who are members of Chōsen Sōren, Shinobu," Megane warned.

"The Korean you sensed in that restaurant might have been a Zainichi Korean, Tariko-chan," Tazuna then stated. "He wouldn't be really noticed in Tomobiki."

The others nodded as they took that in. For a long time, natives of Tomobiki had always shown a remarkable tolerance when it came to ethnic populations that had long been disenfranchised in other parts of the Home Islands. "True," Tariko noted, and then she hummed. "Okay, let's do this: We'll get the girls on _Haida_ to keep an eye on things at the Dobu Salada. We'll get the girls on _Paekbŏm_ to do a detailed scan of North Korea from Paekdu-san straight to the DMZ at P'anmunjŏm. Now, that's going to take a while, but if we know now what we're sniffing for, it should hurry things up. In the meantime, if you girls want to get your friends involved in checking things out, go ahead." She gazed on the Nobushige twins. "But for Fate's sake, _be careful_, alright?" she added as she wagged a finger at them. After they nodded, she sat back. "We'll take a little page out of Vladimir Ulyanov's book."

"Ulyanov?" Chibi asked.

"She means Vladimir Lenin, Chibi," Megane stated. "What page?"

"Lenin said – or is believed to have said – 'The West is so hungry for profits that they will sell us the rope to hang them with,'" Tariko said, a smirk crossing her face. "We'll take that idea and run with it. Whoever's in charge of this operation – IF, I remind you all, this is leaning towards where we're thinking it's leaning to! – is clearly after something in Tomobiki; how the hell did they get _alien_ android technology in the first place? So let's play dumb and let them think they're getting away with whatever they're doing . . . until we get enough on them that we can hang them with it."

The others in the room nodded . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Mizunokōji estate, Saturday 6 March, after dawn . . .

_Now this is interesting . . ._

Sitting in a tree close to the open sports field located south of the main buildings of the ancestral residence of Japan's second-richest family, Negako could only watch with veiled amusement as the heavy armoured figure – save for some details, the armour design would match that of the average Western knight during the late Middle Ages and the beginning of the Renaissance period – charged down the running track at a very commendable speed. Taking the hurdles without knocking over any of them, she then did a standing high jump over a horizontal bar suspended five metres over the ground, clearing it with about half a metre to spare. _Impressive_, the ninjutsu grandmaster mused to herself. _I've known of the propensity of females of the Mizunok__ō__ji line to demonstrate such strength and speed for some time, but Asuka clearly possesses them in a degree that could impress either P'yap'ya or Yoai_. She then tensed before her eyes turned to stare at the wide-eyed Kurotenshi at the foot of the tree, who was now looking up right at her face. "Yes, Tetsuko? Is there something the matter?" she asked.

Kurogane Tetsuko was one of the older members of the Mizunokōji Black Angels, the all-girl team of dedicated bodyguards to the family. She was also one of several of those girls who had – many years ago when she had graduated from high school – served Moroboshi Komeru as babysitters to several of his wards, including Sōzōteki Yasashii and her friends now in Tomobiki. And while she was loyal to her current employers, the chestnut-eyed girl with the curly crimson hair was aware of her former employer's family and what it had possessed for many centuries as its ultimate weapon.

"Um . . . N-n-Negako-sama, wh-what are you d-d-doing here?" she sputtered as her mind rambled a mile a minute, _Imgonnadie! Imgonnadie! ImSOgonnadie . . .!_

"Calm yourself, Tetsuko. I am only here to observe Asuka per Hiromi's request."

Silence.

"Y-y-y-you are . . .?" Tetsuko sputtered.

"Tetsuko!" a voice called out. "Who's there? Another spy?"

Tetsuko chuckled as she looked over as the two other Kurotenshi that had been monitoring Asuka's progress jogged over, weapons out. "Um, no! It's N-n-Negako-sama, Kinko!" she called back, pointing up into the tree. "Hiromi-sama sent her!"

Makige Kinko and Bariki Kokuko skidded to a halt as their outrage also turned into blind panic, their eyes fixing on the figure in black sitting calmly on the tree branch. "N-n-n-NEGAKO-SAMA?" both of them sputtered out as they tried not to leap into each other's arms and whimper. _Imgonnadie! Imgonnadie! ImSOgonnadie . . .!_

"Oh, hello. Who are you?"

All the Kurotenshi tensed on hearing the clanking movements of their employer's young daughter as she calmly walked up to join them, her armoured helmet now turned up to allow her to gaze on the ninjutsu grandmaster in the tree. "Greetings, Asuka," Negako stated as she casually leapt down to the ground, and then she walked up to stare into the starry brown eyes she could detect behind her helmet's grill-like visor. "I am Moroboshi Negako. My sister Moroboshi Hiromi asked me to come here to observe you, given her concern about your pending engagement to her classmate, Mendō Shūtarō."

Kinko, Kokuko and Tetsuko all felt the air catch in their throats on hearing that. Asuka blinked, and then she reached up to pull the visor away. "Who is Mendō Shūtarō? Is she a girl?" she then asked in a voice possessing total innocence.

Negako blinked, clearly surprised by that question. "No, Shūtarō is male."

Silence.

"What is a 'male?'"

Negako blinked again. "A male is a man, such as your father or brother."

More silence.

"What is a 'man?'"

"Um, sh-she means a b-b-boy, Mistress," Kinko sputtered.

Still more silence.

"What is a 'boy?'"

Negako blinked yet again, and then she gazed at Kinko. "When was the last time Asuka here was in the company of either her father or her brother?"

"Um . . . "

Eyebrow twitch. "Kinko, answer the question."

The blonde, blue-eyed bodyguard gasped as her skin turned very pale. "Um, n-n-never, Negako-s-s-sama!" she sputtered out. "The Mistress has n-n-never met her father o-o-or brother! Actually, the Mistress has n-n-never before m-m-met a man."

The grandmaster stared at her for a moment, and then she sighed. "I see. So where exactly – if not here – did Saeko raise her daughter?"

"A convent."

That was Kokuko, who seemed to have gathered some courage from deep somewhere within her body as she gazed on Asuka, and then on Negako. "A convent?" Negako then asked. "Why did Saeko raise Asuka in such an environment as that?"

"To ensure that she was raised properly per family tradition, Negako-sama," the woman with the hazel eyes and the raven hair in a ponytail replied as Kinko and Tetsuko both gaped at her, clearly awed by the fact that their friend was able to speak to the **Black Death** of all things with such calm. "Whenever a daughter is born of the family, they are always raised away from any male influence. It is believed that if such did not happen, the strength they inherited from their ancestors would be forever lost."

"Ah, a family superstition, you mean."

A nod. "Hai. But now that the Young Mistress is fifteen, she can be allowed to enter proper society. And, of course, fulfil the obligation her mother now desires her to fulfil to end the feud between our employers' clan and the Mendō Clan."

"I see." A sigh. "Very well, then."

With that, she tapped a point on Asuka's breastplate, which she noted was embossed with the kanji for _otome_, which clearly identified the poor girl as a virgin in many more ways other than physical. _She is most fortunate that I was able to be separated from Ataru before we had the chance to meet. She would have been a most interesting source of ki were she to have met Ataru before the matter with Elle came up and the truth about Hensô became known_, the grandmaster then mused as the armour seemed to shudder for a moment before collapsing, revealing the beautiful young woman within.

Mizunokōji Asuka was four centimetres shorter than her brother, though she possessed the same eye and hair colour as he; her black hair was long and in a high ponytail, tied down with a pretty pink bow. She was well-formed for her age, with noticeable musculature in the arms and legs indicative that she had been raised in a very healthy environment that prompted her to develop her strength to a degree one would not expect from a resident of a convent. She was dressed in a black leotard with gold T-shirt and blue leggings; the only parts of her armour that was still on her body were the pair of full greaves on her shins and the metal shoes underneath. A look of surprise was on her face as she stared at the pieces of her armour; she hadn't touched the release catches that allowed her to take the armour off, yet this strange woman had just touched her to do just that! "How did you do that?" she asked.

"A shiatsu point on your breastplate," Negako stated. "Come, Asuka."

With that, she turned towards the distant manor house. Asuka blinked, and then she nodded. "H-h-hai!" she said as she kicked off the rest of her armour and then jogged after the older woman. "Where are we going, Negako-sama?" Since the Kurotenshi had called her with that honorific, she had decided to do the same.

"To speak to your mother," Negako calmly answered. "You cannot clearly function as the future heiress of your family without a proper understanding of what outside society is like. Furthermore, before you actually can be married to Shūtarō, you must learn how to temper your strength, if you do not wish to hurt or kill him."

"I don't even know this person."

"That will come with time."

A nod. "Hai."

The three Kurotenshi watched them go, and then exchanged looks . . .

* * *

"So you will be returning to your home today?"

"Yes, Mistress Saeko," Hikutsu Ōmukai, Mendō Haruka's valet – and full-time human parrot – said with a deep bow of his head. "The Mistress wishes to return to inform the Master and the Young Master about the current situation concerning your daughter."

A nod from the perennially-smiling woman at the head of the table in the small banquet hall in the main family manor. "That's good," Mizunokōji Saeko said as she gazed on her old school classmate and her current companion. Several of the Kurotenshi were also present, ready to help serve with breakfast. "I feel very envious of you, Haruka-san. Actually getting the chance to care for both your children as you . . . "

The side door opened, revealing a wide-eyed Kurotenshi. "MISTRESS . . .!"

"Calm yourself, Maruko."

As the other Kurotenshi all gasped on hearing that cold voice, a woman in solid black from neck to toe stepped in, followed by a wide-eyed Mizunokōji Asuka. On seeing the ninjutsu grandmaster that had single-handedly ripped apart the Tarōzakura Hill to destroy those disgusting aliens that had been spying on the personal diary of his mistress' son, Haruka's valet then gasped as he moved to bodily protect her from this walking and talking human killing machine. "_**NEGAKO-SAMA? STAY AWAY FROM . . .!**_"

His voice fell silent as his jaw flapped up and down without any noise coming out of it. Only Asuka had seen Negako flick a marble at his throat, which had struck the point to cause his larynx to shut down. "Be silent, Ōmukai. I have no desire to listen to your mindless tirades," Negako said before she focused her attention on Saeko, who had bolted to her feet to glare at her . . . or at least do so as much as her palsy-affected facial muscles could move to present a scowl (which was actually next to impossible for her). Of course, Negako wasn't the least bit disturbed by that stare; she knew at least _fifty_ ways of defeating someone like Mizunokōji Saeko without resorting to lethal moves. "Saeko, I have a question. You desire this marriage between Asuka and Shūtarō to succeed, do you not?" the grandmaster inquired.

Surprised that this inhuman monster – Saeko and her husband Yūjiro had been briefed on everything concerning Moroboshi Negako and what she was by the Kurotenshi on Monday afternoon – was here concerning _that_, the matriarch of Japan's second-richest family calmed down. "Of course I do, Negako-sama. Why would I not desire that?"

"Then why are you practically guaranteeing Shūtarō will die?"

Silence.

"Wh-what . . .?"

Negako sighed. "Saeko, I realise you felt it was proper to follow your family's tradition of raising daughters in total isolation to ensure they were able to properly develop their powers, but Asuka is sorely lacking in even the most _basic_ knowledge concerning males and how they play a part in society, to say anything of how her future husband will be able to help father her future children. After all, were you not properly briefed on this matter before you began your relationship with Yūjiro?"

Saeko gasped, and then she shuddered before her head then slumped. Seeing that, Asuka blinked, clearly surprised. "Okā-sama . . .?" she breathed out.

A sigh. "I did not wish to risk what nearly happened to me to happen to her," Saeko said as she gazed at the grandmaster. "When I was raised in the convent by my mother, an intruder managed to get to me when I was ten. It was a most frightful experience. One I never forgot." A sigh. "Yes, I may have been strict in ensuring that my daughter did not have any contact whatsoever with men while we were at the convent, but I felt it was for the best. Still, your concern in this matter – while surprising – grants an opportunity, especially given your brother's situation in the wake of his surviving your removal from his mind, thus fulfilling the Sacred Promise."

"So you would desire me to take over Asuka's training from the Kurotenshi?"

"If it will not bother you."

A nod. "Done."

"Excellent," Saeko said before she turned to Kinko, who had come into the room and was now staring wide-eyed at her employer. "Kinko-chan, I understand Negako-sama requires a dōjō constructed on one part of the expanded property she arranged to have purchased around her family home. What is the current status of that project?"

Kinko blinked – stunned at the fact that poor Asuka had just now been handed over to the supervision of the deadliest human being alive, virtually at the blink of an eye! – and then she shook her head to get her mind back on business. She would talk to her co-workers about this when she got a chance. "Um, they tore down the old Ryōki home yesterday, but they haven't prepared the foundation for the dōjō, Mistress," she reported. "Negako-sama did desire it prepared in a way similar to how the foundation of Korean family homes are constructed, with their _ontotsu_ floor-pipe heating system . . . "

"It is called _ondol_, Kinko."

She jerked on hearing Negako, and then she flustered. "I'm sorry . . . "

"Do not apologise. Saeko, given that an incident could still potentially happen to trigger a violent reaction – in a manner quite like what Ataru might have done to Asuka before the trip to planet Elle and our final separation from his mind – I will remain here for the remainder of today to allow the construction crews Yumoa Reigi dispatched to that property to complete their work. Tomorrow, I will be attending a memorial ceremony at the Kagura Shrine in Yokohama with my siblings as Ataru will be paying homage to my fifty-six previous hosts, properly informing their spirits that the Promise of Bunka Go-Nen has been finally fulfilled. On Monday, I will have Asuka moved to the dōjō so she may assist me in its completion, then commence the training."

"The Kagura Shrine?" Kinko asked.

Negako gazed at her. "That was where Deannette Raeburn and I had placed the Ayanokōji sisters and Tōgō Aoi when the Steel Angels all wished to have themselves deactivated in 1934, before world events would have forced them to fight each other in the Second World War. The Kagura Clan of Hodogaya have always been allies of my own clan given their long practice in the _onmy__ō_ forms of mysticism." She then hummed. "Perhaps I will have Asuka meet Kurumi, Saki, Karinka and Aoi at a convenient time later."

A gasp. "A STEEL ANGEL?" Saeko shrilled.

"Naturally," Negako stated. "Come, Asuka. To the baths. You require to remove the perspiration and dirt from your body and I wish to do a ki analysis of you."

Asuka nodded as she followed the grandmaster out of the room. Saeko watched them go, and then turned as Haruka came up to her, followed by the still-gasping valet. The matriarch of the Mendō Clan leaned over to whisper something to her best friend. Hearing that, Saeko blinked, and then she nodded. "Yes, we are lucky, aren't we?"

The others in the room perked. "How so, Mistress?" Kinko asked.

"That Asuka did not meet poor Ataru-kun before Negako-sama and his other sisters were removed from his mind, Kinko-chan," the Mizunokōji matriarch stated.

Hearing that, all the Kurotenshi cringed on remembering what had happened when they had faced Ataru at the Mizunokōji Sportsland some months before . . .

* * *

An apartment building two blocks from the Mendō estate's main gate . . .

"Ohayō, Mizuho-san!"

"Ohayō, Shūtarō-kun! Come in!" Yamashina Mizuho said as she walked over to place a pair of slippers down on the floor just past the genkan for their guest. Once Mendō slipped off his shoes in the genkan and put on the slippers, he walked into the lovely twenty-something's embrace, their lips seeking out the other's immediately.

Unlike the Stormtroopers – who, despite they all having groups of Avalonian "fans" who had been former servants of those Niphentaxian observers who were assigned directly to watch over the first four of Lum's "holy apostles" (as he was the last person to meet Hensō, Mendō Shūtarō was known by members of the Church of Lum as the "Fifth Holy Apostle"), kept them at arm's length – the scion of Japan's richest family had been willing to become close friends with all of those Avalonians who once served those observers interested in him. Though he had not taken any of them to bed in the short time he had got to know them – not wanting, of course, to be seen as two-timing Shinobu; now that he was formally engaged to the mysterious Mizunokōji Asuka, he would certainly not do anything that would make people question his honour and integrity – he knew they loved him with all their hearts and souls, driven at first by guilt over what their former "masters" had done to so violate his personal privacy like they did, but then seeing him as a decent fellow despite his many problems, someone they could befriend. And he appreciated it as well; despite his having gone to a normal high school with normal classmates since the start of the fall term, there were often many things about "common" society that still left him baffled and lost at times. Girls like Mizuho and her particular group – they now unashamedly called themselves "Shūtarō's Angels" in tribute to an American television series from the 1970s, later revamped in a pair of movies the previous decade – would help in that regard.

"Your lips are still as divine as ever, Mizu-chan," Mendō whispered.

"And yours are still as strong as neutronium, Shū-chan," Mizuho whispered back, and then she grinned. "C'mon! Mutsumi's got some tea made up for us!"

"Hai!"

With that, they headed into the living room of the green-haired, green-eyed woman's now-private apartment. In her cover identity, Mizuho was a first-year university student attending Ōtsuma Women's University's Tama campus southwest of Tomobiki (though she had never gone to school personally). Fortunately for her, the national Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology was moving to schedule a special Centre Test and individual entrance tests for those Avalonians who wished to pursue higher education at local universities. Those Avalonians who were physically of high school or middle school age had taken real entrance tests before getting into class, as the other eleven girls of Mizuho's group had done; all of them currently attended either Butsumetsu High School or the Butsumetsu Girl's Academy. Mendō had heard from his intelligence people that although they were – as many others across Kantō were – miffed to learn that the Niphentaxians had pretended one of their slaves was a student at their school, the administrators of Ōtsuma Women's were looking forward to have Mizuho and several other university-age Avalonians come to their school in reality; Mizuho herself desired to get a degree in Japanese literature, then possibly pursue a teacher's certificate as she did (as part of her own duties as an assistant observer) help with tutoring struggling students on her spare time.

"Shū-niichan!"

Mendō then laughed as a bundle of sheer joy landed in his lap to swamp him with a kiss and a hug that made him fear for the integrity of his back, it was that fierce. But then again, it was also understandable. "How are you, Anna-chan?" he said as he stared into the wide brown eyes and smiling face of Wakatsuki Anna, the youngest of his Angels and currently a sixth year elementary school student at Butsumetsu Girl's.

"Wanting many kisses from my Nii-chan!" she said with a pout.

He laughed as he held her close. While the other of the Angels had often been used sexually by their former masters before Monday's events finally saw them free, Anna herself had escaped it thanks to her genetic brother; like several other Avalonians Mendō and others in Tomobiki knew of, Anna had been created as a clone to a lost sibling as a sort of living memorial. The leader of the team that had the Angels as their sexual servants, Anna's brother was a particularly devout fellow who had lived under the Terran alias "Wakatsuki Kyōichi" – Mendō had never learned the man's real name – and had actually ASKED the scion of Japan's richest family to take care of his beloved sister before he had been dragged off the planet by the Noukiites to face several years on the hidden ice prison planet of Hichkyech'eng. And even if he had only really known these girls for just under a week, Mendō had – much to his personal surprise – come to view Anna as more of a real sister to him than even Ryōko! Then again, these girls wouldn't think of some of the foolish things his real flesh-and-blood sibling had done to him ever since she had entered the lives of everyone else a month after he started attending Tomobiki High School. Even more so, these apartments had been specially proofed over the last couple of days by the Angels to keep Ryōko's personal ninja-like servants, the Kuroko, out so they couldn't spy on him when he visited here.

"Ara! Shūtarō-san!"

"Hey, Shū-chan! There you are!"

He smiled as Horikawa Mutsumi and her bond-mate, Inaba Ayumu, walked into the living room, the former carrying a tea tray and the latter a basket of her home-made bread. "Mutsumi-sempai. Ayumu-san. How are things with you two?" he asked as they sat down at the coffee table, and then leaned over to accept their kisses.

"Wonderful," Mutsumi said before she playfully swatted him on the shoulder, which made him wince. "Stop calling me 'sempai,' Shūtarō-san! You know I don't like being called that even if I was pretending to be a second year at Butsumetsu."

"But you _are_ an upperclassman in my eyes, Mutsumi-san," he advised her as Anna slipped off his lap so the bespectacled girl with the hair and eyes the shade of maple fudge could serve tea. "And you have never _pretended_ to be a student! You _are_ a student there, just like all the others save Mizuho-san! Even in her case, she was both learning and helping others learn! Please, it's a title built on respect!"

"She ultimately knows that, Shū-chan," Ayumu noted. A raven-haired tomboy with eyes of sparking amethyst, she was a student at Butsumetsu, though a first year. She was the lead singer of an all-Avalonian amateur band – her band mates had been slaves to a group that had monitored Aruka Damasu, who (as Ran) had been rated along with Miyake Shinobu and Moroboshi Ataru as "sinful doubters" by the authorities back on Phentax Two – who had gladly performed at an impromptu concert held on the grounds of Tomobiki High on Monday evening in celebration of their race's final liberation from the Niphentaxians and Tomobiki's liberation from the insanity that had plagued the town for so many months. "But it's hard for all of us to finally adjust to being truly free and in the open about what we are and how we came to be here."

"Even if you all do accept us, it'll take time for us to accept that in our hearts," Mizuho added before nodding thanks as Mutsumi handed her a cup of tea. "Give Mutsu-chan time, Shū-chan. She'll be okay in the end, especially if she and Ayu-chan decide it's finally time to go seek out boyfriends to date."

Mendō jolted. "WHAT? BOYFRIENDS? I WON'T HAVE IT!"

"So you'll take us as your mistresses?"

He awked as the girls around him laughed, and then they perked on hearing a knock at the door. "It's open, Shiina! Wheel it in here!" Mizuho called out.

"Hai!" a voice called back from beyond the main door before it opened, allowing Shindō Kazumi to come inside, followed by Misaki Shiina. Both then knelt down to get the shoes out of the way before they helped a rather large and tubular object to be wheeled in thanks to Yusa Rinko and her bond-mate, Nitō Kanami. Staring at said object, Mendō was quick to see it was the size of a gestation tank used to create an Avalonian; several empty tanks had been brought down by his hosts' sisters to show the world what it was all about. And no doubt, said tank was currently carrying a body.

"What's in there?" he asked.

"Something we discovered when we moved to clean out the basement lockers used by our former masters for storage space, not to mention their signalling devices for the monitor machines that probed into your bedroom to get at your diary, Shū-chan," Mizuho said as the four girls that had wheeled the tank in moved to position it close to one corner. "Believe me, after finding this, we put our heads together with all the other groups to scour the whole city to make sure we don't find any further surprises."

"Such as?"

Kazumi, who was almost as much of a tomboy in style as Ayumu (though she had maroon-shaded hair in an outward curl at the neck and chestnut eyes) smirked as she moved to yank the drape covering the tank off so he could see what was inside. "As you can see for yourself, Shū-cha, someone decided to give you a _twin sister_!"

Silence.

"_**WHAT?**_" Mendō screamed out . . .

* * *

In orbit over Tomobiki, that moment . . .

"Oooh, Tariko . . . "

"Ohayō gozaimashita, you two."

Shinobu and Tariko yelped on hearing that voice, and then they spun around to see Hiromi gazing at them from the side of the bed they had shared overnight in the captain's cabin on the apex of _Haida_'s superstructure. "HIROMI!" the former yelped before she swatted at the reborn emperor, who easily dodged. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING . . . YEEEK!" she screamed out on noting she had bolted up and given her classmate a good look at her exposed breasts; both she and Ataru's twin were naked under the covers.

Hiromi laughed as her brother's former girlfriend ducked under the blankets again. "Oh, Shinobu-san, relax! If you and Onē-san there do bond, I think accidents like this will happen far more often!" She then leaned over to gently kiss the blushing girl on the top of the head, which made Shinobu blush more. "And hopefully, if things work out, I will soon be calling you 'sister-in-law,'" she whispered.

Shinobu peeked out from under the quilt. "Hiromi . . . "

Tariko smirked as she moved to embrace her date from the other side, leaning in to kiss Shinobu on the neck, which made the latter shudder in delight. She then paused to look around the room. "Where are the twins?" she asked.

"Tazuna-san and Katsumi-san were quick to sense that you two wanted some quality time alone, so they slipped out of the bed and beamed back to Tomobiki very early this morning according to Minako-chan," Hiromi explained. "Satoshi-san and the others are still aboard; they took several of the officer cabins in the lower decks so they could sleep after they called their parents to tell them where they were. They briefed me on your interesting discovery at the Dobu Salada last night. By the way, breakfast is on in the wardroom, so why don't you wash up and come down to have something to eat?"

Shinobu blinked, and then she gasped. "Ohmigod! I totally forgot . . .!"

"Relax," Tariko said. "I had Tomomi-chan call down to your parents last night to tell them where you were so they didn't panic about you being away from the house."

Her current companion – Ataru's twin didn't really think of Shinobu yet as a full-fledged "lover" and was sure calling her a "girlfriend" would also be taking it too far despite their sleeping together in their birthday suits after a lot of kissing and fondling – blinked again before she relaxed. "How did they react?"

"Well, according to Tomomi, after they got over the shock of their own little girl actually being on a _Terran __**starship**_ of all things, they were relieved that you weren't actually sleeping with Ataru like Yui-chan did over on _Yamato_ last night."

Silence.

"WHAT?" Shinobu shrieked. "But you told me . . .!"

A finger landed on her lips. "Relax. You know Mari-chan was there all along to make sure things didn't go crazy like they did with Yui-chan back at the old willow tree at school. No doubt, they're enjoying a nice bath together in the officer's furo on that ship before they head back to the surface so we can go to the beach with Ataru while Yui-chan and Mari-chan enjoy their weekend with friends. 'Sides, you're _**not**_ his mother and you're really in no position now to judge what's going on with him, okay?"

Ataru's former girlfriend blinked, and then she nodded before noting out of the corner of her eye that Hiromi had slipped out of the room. She then sighed before perking. "A furo on this ship?" she asked as she gazed on her companion.

Tariko smirked. "That's one romantic place to make out."

A sigh. "Where are we going with this, Tariko?"

Ataru's twin shrugged. "Wherever it takes us, Shinobu." She pointed to the side of her head. "If that little function that'll make me lock on a future bond-mate clicks in my brain one day with you, then I'll definitely whip you into sick bay and get you transformed into an Avalonian real quick before I go to one knee and properly ask for your hand in marriage. If you become an Avalonian before that happens and it clicks in, same thing. If it doesn't happen and you find someone you do want to spend the rest of your life with, then we'll part and be friends. My feelings may in places be a total one-eighty from what Ataru feels, but there are beliefs we share. And getting married without being DAMN sure that the person we want is the one we can live for the rest of our lives with are things we both believe in."

Shinobu gazed at her, and then she sighed. "I can't believe it, you know."

"What?"

"That you and Ataru are such old-fashioned romantics under it all."

"What's the matter with being that?" Tariko slipped her hand down to gently fleck her fingernails through Shinobu's pubic hair. "Look, I will _never_ take _**this**_ away from you unless we are bonded, Shinobu. You are going to save this for the one you know deep in your heart and soul that you love. Right now, we're friends with benefits. I'm not going to hold you down to just me because we did sleep together last night; I hope you don't do that to me, either. I look at this as a chance to practice loving and having sex with someone I can trust, which you sure as hell are. I know you don't see yourself this way and maybe you might want to just be with a man in the long term. I've got no problems with that in the end, Shinobu. Just don't ask me to follow in your footsteps when it comes to something like that, okay?"

A smile. "Okay! I just . . . " A shake of the head. "I never imagined I would ever be 'friends with benefits' with anyone, especially another _girl_."

"Well, at least if you go to the altar, you'll go pure."

"Arigatō." A hum. "So you think my body's a temple, eh?"

"Hai."

"Then take me to the furo . . . and worship me again."

Tariko purred. "Your wish is my command, Mistress."

They kissed . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Asami Junko** is a character from _Grand Prix_ who later appeared in _Find Love_.

2) The **Intergalactic News Network** (INN) was created as an outer-space analogue of CNN for _The Senior Year_. It is headquartered on Zeiwan. The planet **Den'sha Two** was the scene of the "great cosmic scramble auction" that was depicted in the story "Great Father Ataru Stage Six: Auction" (in turn, based on the "cosmic scramble" concept introduced in the _Star Trek_ novel _Battlestations!_, written by Diane Carey in 1986).

3) The "Type 61 super-dreadnought battleship/carrier" mentioned by Katsumi is none other than the **Gatherer**, which was a character in his own right in _The Senior Year_.

4) The "alphabet soup" intelligence agencies mentioned by Katsumi:

**CIA** - Central Intelligence Agency**  
SVR** - _Sluzhba Vneshney Razvedki_ ("Foreign Intelligence Service")**  
SIS** - Secret Intelligence Service (also known as **MI6** or "Military Intelligence, Department Six")**  
DGSE** - _Direction Générale de la Sécurité Extérieure_ ("General Directorate for External Security")**  
BND** - _Bundesnachrichtendienst_ ("Federal Intelligence Service")**  
Mossad** - _HaMossad leModi'in uleTafkidim Meyuchadim_ ("Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations")**  
GAB** - _Guóji__ā Ānqu__án Bù_ ("Ministry of State Security")**  
KCW** - _Kukka Chŏngbowŏn_ ("National Intelligence Service")

5) **Ch****ōsen Sōren** is short for _Zai-Nihon Chōsenjin Sōrengōkai_ ("General Association of Korean Residents in Japan"), known in Korean as _Chae Ilbon Chosŏnin Ch'ongryŏnhaphoe_ or **Ch'ongryŏn** for short, is the association of **Zainichi** ("staying in Japan") Koreans more affiliated with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea. Their counterparts maintaining closer ties to the Republic of Korea is the **Mindan**, short for _Zai-Nihon Daikanminkoku Mindan_ ("Korean Residents Union in Japan"), which is addressed in Korean as _Chae-Ilbon Taehan Min'guk Mindan_.

6) **P'yap'ya** (proper name: **Seu-Nech Yesu-Kai Hechnich'-Kep'uo**) is the Noukiite analogue of the _Koihime Musō_ version of Ten'i (birth name: "Ruru"); I use the Noukiite reading of the Korean version of Diǎn Wěi's nickname "È Lái" to serve as P'yap'ya's style-name. **Yoai** (proper name: **Seu-Se Yesu-He Hechnich'-Nakuk**) is the Noukiite analogue of the _KM_ version of Kyocho Chūkō (birth name: "Kii"). Like their _KM_ counterparts, both P'yap'ya and Yoai are incredibly strong, though neither of them are Kyech's equals. P'yap'ya often tests herself against Kyech to build up her strength.

7) The names given to all the **Kurotenshi** are my invention. **Makige Kinko** (whom I see as the overall leader of the group) is the girl with the curly light hair cut short who first appeared in the manga episode "Let's Have That Bikini" (manga episode #44); it was this episode where the Kurotenshi had a rather ugly run-in with Moroboshi Ataru (he ripped off all their clothes to look for Lum's stolen bikini). **Bariki Kokuko** is the black-haired girl with the ponytail who also appeared in that episode; she and Kinko piloted the motorboat Mizunokōji Tobimaro used so he could challenge Mendō Shūtarō at the start of the story. **Kurogane Tetsuko** is the red-haired tomboyish girl in the group; she also appeared in that story. **Ryōji Maruko** is the girl who resembles Shinobu that appeared in the storyline "That Mizunokōji Girl" (episodes #221-224").

8) The **Kasuga Shrine** made its appearance in the anime series _Kōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi 2-Shiki_; this is where the upgraded Kurumi was stored until she was woken by Kagura Nako. Concerning the Steel Angels themselves, I gave them all family names to better let them fit into society as a whole. For Kurumi and her sisters, it was a no-brainer to use the family name of their own creator, Professor Ayanokōji (whom I give the given name "Hakushi"). As for Tōgō Aoi, she is the tomboyish Steel Angel serving as an officer in the Imperial Japanese Navy who appeared in the _Kōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi_ manga; I gave her the family name of the famous Japanese admiral Tōgō Heihachirō (1848-1934), the victor of the Battle of Tsu-shima (1905).

9) The concept of Mendō having an Avalonian twin-sister was explored first in _The Senior Year_ special story "What Price For Love?" In that story, I gave such a replica the name "Shūtako" (following the concept of "Ranko" as a separate name for Saotome Ranma's female-self). It is in that story that I also used the concept for the Stormtroopers and Moroboshi Ataru as well; Ataru's replica in _TSY_ has the name "Atako."

10) The members of Shūtarō's Angels are all based on the characters of the adult dating simulation game _Hōkago Ren'ai Club_, which was brought over to America and given the translated name "Casual Romance Club." The game first came out in Japan in 1998 and it became available in America in 2003.


	6. The Cold Hand of the Northern Han

The Dobu Salada, that moment . . .

"I must confess, I am a little concerned, Comrade Conna."

The beautiful woman in the plain clothes blinked for a moment as she glanced out the corner of her eye at the tall and slender man standing at the foot of the stairwell connecting the basement of the restaurant with the main kitchen. "What seems to be disturbing you, Comrade Colonel?" she asked before turning her attention to the prone girl now lying on one of the examination tables there, her normal outer clothes removed from her body to reveal perfect skin . . . and an open access panel under the curve of her rib cage, exposing the intricate electronics, artificial musculature and bones and various other components that made this gynoid – the colonel of the North Korean Special Purpose Forces preferred "android" when he spoke of the forty special agents the expatriate Zeiwanite had constructed to serve the Supreme Leader – what she was.

"Aren't you concerned about the recent revelations concerning the Avalonians, Comrade?" Han Yŏngch'ŏl asked. "Given that they seem interested in moving en masse into this solar system – and given that according to the recent press release by their president, there are over TWO BILLION of them – the chances are there they might discover your presence in this city. The Supreme Leader wishes to ensure that the capabilities you've so readily provided us over the last year will not be lost."

"Relax," Conna stated as she gazed in amusement at him, her chestnut eyes twinkling as she reached over to tap the North Korean officer's nose playfully, which made him jolt. "Comrade Colonel, the technology they no doubt possess is Niphentaxian. Despite their skill at building things, the Niphentaxians were nowhere close to being as advanced as we are when it came to the creation of artificial intelligences in humanoid form." She used that phrase in lieu of "gynoid" since her current superior didn't like the feminist term, viewing it as something deprived from Western decadence, the very thing he had trained for and been prepared all his life to fight against.

_What a fool_, the disguised Zeiwanite scientist mused, hiding the smile she felt in her heart on once again confirming how much she had deceived her many "sponsors" from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea concerning the real reason she had come to Earth and offered her technology for their use. "And given that the Avalonians were used as chattel slaves by the Niphentaxians, I believe that any impetus they might have originally possessed towards creating their own indigenous A.I. technology was dampened even more. There's nothing to fear, so relax and allow the mission to continue." She gazed into the opened access hatch of the gynoid on the table before her. "Besides, what have the people in P'yŏng'yang decided now that the Oni has been sent home?"

"I have yet to get updated instructions," Colonel Han replied. "My other agents were able to obtain samples of Niphentaxian technology from the houses that were swept through by the Noukiites earlier this week. They'll be transported to the Fatherland soon enough." A wistful look then crossed his face as he remembered watching those alien soldiers in action. "A pity the Noukiites didn't stay longer than necessary. Everyone on the team reported that they seemed almost . . . _Korean_ in their behaviour and attitudes. It would have been quite interesting to open contact with them."

"It is hard to get past the Lady Dragonspeaker's senses, Comrade," Conna stated as she took a probe and inserted it into the abdomen of the prone woman before her. A quick burst of energy from the projector at the tip of the probe later, she then straightened herself. "Yŏn'i, engage reboot protocols and restore yourself to nominal function," she then instructed, gazing at the younger-looking gynoid's face.

A pair of caramel brown eyes opened. "_Un-der-stood, Com-rade Con-na_," Sŏ Yŏn'i replied in a mechanical lockstep similar to how fictional androids and gynoids in some sort of command mode would speak in. "_Re-boot pro-to-cols en-gaged._"

Her eyes then began to flutter as the circuits and power conduits in the exposed parts of her innards began to flash and glow with power. Watching this, Han tried not to shudder too much as he waited for Yŏn'i to fully awaken from her self-diagnostic. A year ago, he had been a mere regimental commander based in a location not far from the Demilitarized Zone splitting apart the two parts of his divided homeland, preparing both in body and soul for an eventual winner-take-all war against the capitalist South and their decadent American allies whenever the Supreme Leader finally ordered it. Then he had been called to P'yŏng'yang, where he was introduced to an honest-to-goodness _alien_ of all things. And an alien bearing technology the likes of which could never be imagined save in the minds of speculative fiction writers the world over.

Fortunately for his nation, Conna's desire to help her "brother socialists" on Earth prepare themselves for the eventual onslaught of her people's allies from the planet Uru the previous summer proved to be literally a gift from the Fates . . . even if the technology itself often seemed to him and his human subordinates to be to the far left of witchcraft at times.

And now . . .

A relieved sigh then escaped the awakening girl on the diagnostic table as she slowly sat up, her hand reaching automatically for the section of skin Conna had pulled off her so she could properly analyse her interior components. Placing that where it belonged, Yŏn'i then concentrated, allowing the various nanomachines buried in her outer epidermal layers to reconnect with the part that had been pulled off, leaving flawless skin behind. With that she moved to stand, and then she proceeded to dress. "All my functions are nominal, Comrade," Yŏn'i – who had been modelled after a farmer's daughter in Ryanggang Province near the Chinese border, a girl who had died early the previous year from the famine that had spread across the Democratic People's Republic in recent years – stated as she slipped on her clothes. "What do you wish me to do?"

"Check in with the agent we have inserted in Tomobiki High School, Comrade Sŏ," Colonel Han then ordered; the gynoids were programmed to obey him above all others when it came to their mission in Japan. "Make sure she is functioning well."

A nod as she finished dressing. "Yes, Comrade Colonel. Please excuse me."

With that, Yŏn'i headed out . . .

* * *

The _Haida_, that moment . . .

"One of the gynoids has left the building?"

"Hai, Onē-chan," Tsukihana stated. "She's heading towards a public telephone booth about ten paces away from the restaurant's front door."

"She's probably trying to call someone," Megane mused. The Stormtroopers had joined Hiromi in the starship's operations room to learn what further information the on-board sensor suite had been able to obtain since they were set to work on analysing what was going on at the Dobu Salada. "Can this thing tell where she's calling?"

"I can't make the scan TOO accurate," Tsukihana warned. "If I did that, her epidermal sensors – if they're sensitive enough – might pick up the incoming energy and she might get suspicious. Unfortunately – even if this was planned in the first place to introduce everyone on the planet to the concept of the 'Earth Defence Force' that we want them to accept – we're right now low enough in orbit to be picked up by people on the planet with store-bought telescopes, so if there are some quick-thinkers in this group . . . "

"They might realise we're on to them," Perm finished.

"Yeah."

"Can we get a hologram to show us what she looks like?" Chibi wondered.

Tsukihana smirked. "Never thought you asked."

He tapped controls. A second later, a 3D image of a girl appearing to be in her late teens then appeared. Possessing caramel-brown eyes, she had strawberry blonde hair tied off in two stubby ponytails behind her ears. She was currently depicted in what could be view as "trendy" clothes in Japan these days. Seeing that, Perm gaped. "Well, I'll be damned!" he blurted out. As the others standing around the operations room table gazed at him, he said, "That's Sŏ Yŏn'i! Hideyuki's got a crush on her!"

Hiromi perked. "Hideyuki-san? He was as loyal as all of you when it came to Hensō-san when she was living here. Why has he taken interest in this girl?"

"Some of the guys have found it easier to focus their attention on other girls now that Hensō-san's gone and we know the truth about Lum-san, Hiromi-chan," Megane answered with a touch of annoyance in his voice; even if there was no practical reason to keep Lum's Stormtroopers together now that the woman they had all sworn to protect turned out to be a fake, he still liked the idea of having such a high place of social prominence among his peers. "Hideyuki was one of the first to do this. Then again, all of us in the class were there in Onishuto when Kyech-san came with Nengmek'i-sama to break up the wedding; the rest of us were yanked out of our homes by a space-taxi at the same time Ataru was being rescued from Elle." A sigh. "I guess Hideyuki realised it was just a waste of time to keep the Stormtroopers going and moved on with his life. And he allowed himself to be attracted to this girl."

"Well, that's good to hear," the reborn emperor mused. "And I must confess that he does have quite impeccable taste when it comes to seeking out a girlfriend. Even if she is not organic." A chuckle. "Well, that's easily dealt with."

The Stormtroopers all gaped at her while Tsukihana snickered . . .

* * *

The Mendō estate . . .

"Welcome to our humble home, ladies."

"Thank you for hosting us, Hajime-sama," Yamashina Mizuho stated with a polite bow as she offered her hand to Mendō Hajime. He was quick to give her a courtly kiss in the traditional Western way before he moved to greet the other members of his son's "angels" as they streamed into the main reception room. "Still, it is a pity that we have to meet under these circumstances." She then gazed on the group of Kuromegane who were moving to wheel in the gestation chamber containing Mendō Shūtarō's new "sister" so that his father could see what had happened for himself. "Gentlemen, please do not open the chamber . . . and PLEASE, do NOT touch her skin," she warned, holding up a warning finger. "Her body is now primed and ready to accept a person's soul within it. I doubt any of you fine fellows would care to undergo gender reassignment."

The Ray-Ban wearing bodyguards jerked on hearing that warning, and then this particular team's leader bowed to her. "We will be cautious, Mizuho-san."

With that, they moved to place the chamber in a clear area beside the central coffee table, close to the Western-style fireplace on the north wall of the room. Once the chamber was down and safe, the Kuromegane took up positions near the entrances of the room to ensure no interruption. Fortunately for the current head of the Mendō Conglomerate and his heir, Mendō Haruka would take about a day to return back to her family home from the Mizunokōji residence; her technophobia drove her into using an ox-drawn cart to move around in whenever she wished to travel beyond the grounds of her home, not to mention take every back alley available to avoid any traffic since the sound of cars always drove her to distraction. As soon as Hajime had greeted the last of the Angels, they all moved to take their seats as he and his son moved to gaze on the beautiful creature contained within the alien gestation chamber. "Oh, my!" he breathed out. "She really IS a twin sister to you, Shūtarō! How is this possible?"

"Sadly, Mizuho-san and her friends don't know, Otō-san," Shūtarō replied. "It is theoretically possible that the same type of devices their former masters used to spy on my diary was also used to obtain the necessary blood sample to create this particular bioroid . . . but the chances are there that all they did was take a detailed DNA scan of me from their base, then used that scan as a template to encode her DNA when they prepared her." A sigh. "I don't know whether to be flattered by this or not. Much that I still find it so hard to believe that a whole RACE viewed me as being touched by the Divine Itself because of my association with Hensō-san . . . "

"The copies of _The Book of Lum_ – and the reports of what the Niphentaxians have done in Hensō's name, believing her to be Lum – simply can't be ignored," Hajime finished as he moved to light his pipe, and then he waved his son over to a couch across from where Mizuho, Horikawa Mutsumi and Kawai Hinako – they were the technical "elders" of the group as their own brothers/templates were the oldest members of their team while they were deployed in the "Holy City" – were currently seated so they could discuss this. "So, ladies . . . " he then said as he took a deep inhale of the pipe tobacco. "What should we do?"

Surprise crossed the Avalonians' faces. "Program her and wake her, of course, Hajime-sama," Mizuho answered matter-of-factly. "Just because this was done without your son's input or permission doesn't mean that she doesn't deserve a chance at life."

"Do you believe your wife and daughter might object?" Mutsumi asked.

A sigh. "Sadly so," Hajime stated. "My wife's inability to bear another child after Ryōko was born hurt her badly. And given that this girl was created through very advanced science, the chances of my wife accepting her as an adopted daughter are slim to nil." A sigh. "And much that I believe we've done all we could to keep Ryōko-chan and her friends away from this meeting, the instant she learns she's no longer the 'baby' of the family, so to speak . . . " A rue chuckle then escaped him.

"She'll have two targets to chase after, not just one," Inaba Ayumu noted.

A nod. "Sadly so, Ayumu-chan."

Silence then fell as everyone considered what to do. "Well, she still deserves to have a chance at life," Hinako – a girl with chestnut eyes and pinkish-red hair centre-parted and inward-curled at the shoulders – stated. "It's not her fault that she was made to look like she is now. And there's no way to change the DNA now that it HAS been templated. She's going to be stuck like that for the rest of her life."

"Maybe there IS a way to make Ryōko-san accept her."

Eyes locked on Shindō Kazumi. "Kazumi-san . . .?" Shūtarō gasped.

"Well, your family now's trying to either get you married to this Asuka girl or get Ryōko-san to marry Mizunokōji Tobimaro," Kazumi explained. Gazing at her, Shūtarō was quick to confirm that her chestnut eyes were twinkling with delight and mirth, like they always did whenever they met, even when she was being serious. One never knew what the Butsumetsu High freshman was truly thinking of when they looked at her. "We DID modify her mind to accept a soul copy of you in lieu of taking in your actual soul into her body, Shū-cha, so she won't have as much trouble adjusting to being a girl as Tariko-san clearly had when she was finally separated from Ataru-kun."

"Wouldn't it be nice to have a sister you WEREN'T scared of?" Misaki Shiina then asked as her own amethyst eyes twinkled with delight. Another Butsumetsu High freshman, the girl with the long raven hair in a high ponytail was a budding track-and-field star, though she was doing her best to downplay her capabilities to allow her pure-Terran classmates a chance out in the field. "Given what we know of what she's capable of doing to you, I think you'd want the chance to have a sibling you could trust and care for like Ataru-kun obviously does with Tariko-san and Hiromi-sama."

"That is a point," Hajime mused . . .

* * *

Elsewhere in the mansion . . .

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT . . .?**_"

A masked Kuroko bowed his head. "It is true, Mistress. Somehow, the aliens who spied on your brother's diary were able to obtain a DNA sample from him to literally create a TWIN SISTER of him in an Avalonian body. She was brought here just now by the twelve girls calling themselves your brother's 'angels;' they're discussing what to do with the girl with your brother and father in the main reception room."

Hearing that, a cloud of doom seemed to appear out of nowhere right over Mendō Ryōko's head as her mind seemed to crash at the very IDEA of suddenly finding herself confronting the fact that very soon, she wouldn't be the baby of her family anymore. After a moment of silence as she seemed to freeze in place, the younger child of the richest family in all of Japan recovered. "In the main reception room?"

"Hai, Mistress!" the leader of her own troupe of bodyguards replied.

"Then we must stop this at once!" Ryōko declared.

"HAI!" all the Kuroko chanted out . . .

* * *

The main reception room . . .

"A name?"

"Hai," Mizuho said with a nod. "We weren't able to get in contact with Ataru-kun to get his assistance in this matter, but we did managed to get a reply from Tariko-san. She said she'll be down here as soon as she washes up and . . . "

A ringing noise then filled the room. People's heads snapped over as a swirling whirlpool of sparkles began to appear close to the fireplace. That soon formed into a ghostly image of a girl in jeans, T-shirt and jean jacket, which quickly solidified into the person of Moroboshi Tariko. Given the suddenness of her appearance, none of the Kuromegane reacted save for their jaws hitting the ground and their eyes bulging out from under their glasses. "Yo, Shūtarō! Oji-san!" she said with a casual wave of her hand before she noted the stunned look on her classmate's face. "What?"

"Tariko-san! How did you APPEAR like that?" Shūtarō demanded.

Tariko blinked, and then she sighed. "Right! Okay, we'll go on a date tonight and I'll show you myself," she then declared – ignoring the younger Mendō's reddening face and wide eyes as he interpreted her words – before her eyes flicked left to gaze on the sleeping woman in the gestation tube beside her. "Whoa . . .!"

"She's pretty, isn't she?" Ayumu asked.

"That she is, Ayumu-chan! Then again, is it so surprising given what a hunkmeister her brother is?" Tariko said as she gave Shūtarō an amused look, which made him turn as red as a beet and nearly drove Hajime into the floor laughing his guts out. "But said flower of beauty needs a name! Hmmm . . . " she then trilled out before smirking. "Okay, let's call her 'Tachiko' then. Nice enough name."

Hajime and Shūtarō blinked. "'Tachiko?'" both parroted her.

"Sure," Tariko said as she drew out her new cell phone – an NTT DoCoMo LG Electronics Optimus Chat L-04C in silver – and slipped out the QWERTY keyboard from under the main screen to tap some buttons. A moment later, she nodded before walking over to show her hosts the screen, which had the kanji 太刀子 displayed there.

Noting that, both men found themselves slowly nodding. "Well, it is quite an auspicious name," Hajime mused as he puffed his pipe.

"Indeed," Shūtarō stated, also nodding in agreement to Tariko's choice.

Tariko smiled before she cleared the screen, and then slipped her phone into her jacket pocket as her mind quickly picked up a group of people rapidly approaching the room from all directions, both through their ki signatures and the slight impact they had in the _Te'a_ which an Avalonian like her could detect with ease. "So since we've decided on her name now, what say we get to the nitty-gritty and go wake her up . . . " She flashed a knowing look at Mutsumi, who smiled in return as she immediately slipped her hand into her knit sweater pocket and keyed a control . . .

. . . just as a rifle company's worth of grenades suddenly dropped onto the floor right behind the couch where Hajime and Shūtarō were seated!

Tariko ducked, her hand snapping out to grab Hajime by his hakama trousers and yanking him off the couch as the grenades all went off, vaulting Shūtarō right into the air towards the fireplace and the gestation chamber sitting right next to it. A wild scream escaped him as he watched the protective glass cover swing open, leaving NOTHING standing in the way between him and his "sister's" virginal skin, which was barely covered from collar bones down in a skin-tight gestation suit specially designed to assist in the final DNA templation before an Avalonian was to be woken.

Contact.

"_**ONII-SAN! I'LL SAVE YOU!**_"

Tariko turned, gazing in amusement as Ryōko charged into the room, dressed in surplus combat fatigues, a bandanna wrapped around her forehead. _To actually believe that when I was still part of Ataru, I found this loon to be _attractive_!_ she mused as Ryōko sprinted past her, collapsing to her knees on seeing her brother now passed out, his face buried in the valley between his slowly-wakening genetic twin's breasts.

"Oh, Onii-san! I'm so sorry I couldn't save you from being forced to become a machine!" Ryōko sobbed crocodile tears as she clasped her hands before her heart in mock-prayer. "Oh, how terrible! Now he'll never be a man again . . .!"

"Ryōko . . . please shut up. No one is listening to you . . . "

Silence.

A moan escaped the dazed Shūtarō as his eyes fluttered open, finding himself staring right into a solid grey wall. Before his claustrophobia could trigger, said wall seemed to push against his face as the quite delightful sound of a woman taking a deep breath of air filled his ears. "Onii-sama, would you PLEASE get your face out from my chest?" that strange yet curiously familiar voice then demanded.

A cry of shock escaped him as he bolted up, finding himself straddling his newly-woken sister's legs. As Hajime and Ryōko – not to mention all the Kuromegane and Kuroko in the room – gaped in disbelief at the sight of the NEWEST member of the Mendō Clan of Musashino taking her first breath of life, Tariko then looked over. "Oi, Tachi! You okay? He didn't break his nose on your breastbone, did he?"

"No, Tariko-san, his nose was spared any damage," Tachiko said with a grunt. Immediately, Mizuho and Mutsumi were at her side, moving to pull her up into a sitting position and get her out from under Shūtarō's crotch. "Oh, dōmo . . . "

"Well, sister, welcome to the world," Mizuho said. "How do you feel?"

Tachiko seemed to think about it for a moment, and then she blushed. "I feel quite fine, Mizuho-san. It appears the alterations to the basic templation programming you did to me before Onii-sama was allowed to touch me worked fine." Taking a deep breath, she then moved to swing herself around so she could stand up. After a moment, she rose . . . and then gasped as her unexercised legs nearly gave out.

A flash of flesh-and-blue zipped over, knocking Ryōko aside and sending the poor girl slamming face-first into a wall as said blur became a wide-eyed Misaki Shiina, who immediately slipped one arm under Tachiko's armpit to keep her up. "Here, let me get you to a chair, Tachiko," she said in a very demure and motherly voice as she moved to literally CARRY the newest member of the Mendō Clan over to a nearby chair.

Tachiko didn't react save for a surprised look on her face. As the others watched Shiina carry her over, Tariko smirked. "She wakes up and gets a bond-mate right away," she mused aloud as she gave the other members of Shūtarō's Angels a knowing look. "If only I was so lucky. Anyhow, folks, I'll leave you to handle all the neat stuff. Oh, Oji-san," she then said as she gazed on Hajime. "I'll get Onē-san to lean in with your wife so she won't freak out too much on seeing Tachiko when she comes back from the Mizunokōji place! Shūtarō, I'll be here at eight tonight."

With that, she headed out of the room, leaving behind two shell-shocked Mendō men, a dazed and unconscious Mendō girl, a newly-woken adopted Mendō girl in the arms of her would-be lover and a chorus of stunned Kuromegane and Kuroko. Noting this, the eleven other Avalonians in the room shared knowing looks and grins before they turned as one to gaze on their sister, who was now fawning over a blushing Tachiko . . .

* * *

Near Tomobiki High School . . .

"Tamako!"

"Hai?"

Inoue Sachiko looked upstairs. "Yŏn'i-chan's here."

"Hai!"

Footfalls soon heralded Tamako's coming down from her bedroom. The girl with blue-tinted black hair parted on the right side and cut in a shaggy taper at the bottom of her neck was dressed in stylish clothes, including jeans and a cardigan knit sweater. "Yŏn'i-ya!" she called out on seeing the smiling Korean girl she had befriended some months before, sometime right after the Tag Race.

"Ohayō, Tamako-chan!" Yŏn'i said in nearly-flawless Japanese as she and her friend exchanged bows. "Are you busy right now? I'm not on shift at the Dobu Salada and there's a really good movie on at the multiplex in the Ginza!"

Tamako blinked, and then she grinned. "Let me get my coat."

She headed back upstairs. Watching her daughter go up to prepare herself for a day out on the town, Sachiko could only smile. Like many mothers of female students now attending Tomobiki High, Inoue Sachiko had been quite bothered by Tamako falling literally head-over-heels in love with Mendō Shūtarō the day he parachuted into school shortly after the start of the fall term. While it was understandable that her child would be attracted to such a wealthy young man – given that Moroboshi Ataru (at the time) was being forced to play the lecherous loon thanks to what the being now called Moroboshi Negako was forcing him to do and the other boys in the class were totally infatuated with Ataru's would-be "wife" at the time – Sachiko hoped that sooner or later, Tamako would finally see that crushing on Mendō was simply a waste of time, go forth and find a more decent boy to pursue, then get on with her life.

Of course, she didn't mind Tamako becoming friends with Sŏ Yŏn'i along the way. Tomobiki had possessed a rather large Zainichi Korean population since well before the 1910-45 occupation of the Land of the Morning Calm by the Land of the Rising Sun. Yŏn'i, the orphaned granddaughter of farmers from what was locally called Ryanggang Province these days, had moved to Tomobiki from Ōsaka's Ikuno Ward the previous spring and was – atop working a part-time job as a waitress at the Dobu Salada – currently attending the Uin Academy, a private school in Tomobiki financially supported by the Mindan, the South Korean-aligned residency group. Since Tomobiki had long been quite open to outsiders coming to live in Japan – as witness what happened when Hensō, her cousin Ten and her friend Damasu had lived here – there was no discrimination against the students of Uin even if their numbers wouldn't equal one class at Tomobiki High School. And since Tamako was learning how to speak Korean as her elective language in public school, having Yŏn'i around to help her with her studies was a bonus.

"So what movie are you going to be seeing, Yŏn'i-chan?" she then asked.

The Korean girl smiled. "They're showing _Ŭihyŏngje_ – 'Secret Reunion' – at the multiplex, Oba-san." Like many Koreans living Tomobiki, Sŏ Yŏn'i switched between her native tongue and her adopted tongue with considerable ease, which influenced her use of honorifics. "It came out two days ago. It was made by Chang Hun-sŏnsaengnim; he's the one who did _Yŏnghwanŭn Yŏnghwada_ – 'Rough Cut' – two years ago."

"Oh, I remember that one!" A sigh. "Pity they won't do a _Winter Sonata_ movie."

Yŏn'i laughed – who in Japan _wasn't_ a fan of the romantic television show known in Korea as _Kyŏul Yŏnga_, which had come out originally in South Korea in 2002 and was actually being redone in anime version in Japan this year with the original Korean actors! – just as Tamako came down from her bedroom. "I'm ready!"

"Let's go!"

With that, both girls headed out. "Nice girl," Sachiko mused to herself . . .

* * *

Meanwhile, the two girls – walking hand-in-hand as was normally done in Korea – headed down the street for the nearest bus station. As they went, Tamako tried not to frown. "I didn't like lying to Ŏmma like that, Yŏn'i-ya," she whispered in perfect Korean, even with the Hamgyŏng accent that her friend possessed.

"She wouldn't understand the truth, Tamako-ya," Yŏn'i warned in turn.

The other girl sadly nodded. Reaching the bus stop, both waited for the next run of the inter-city express that connected Tomobiki with Fussa, Higashiyamato and Kodaira to the west and Nerima, Toshima and other parts of Tōkyō proper to the east. Soon enough, a bus came up. Both girls soon boarded it alongside several other passengers, taking a seat for themselves as the vehicle headed off towards Nerima . . .

* * *

The _Haida_ . . .

"Heading on a bus into Nerima?"

"Hai, Onē-chan," Tsukihana said. "She met up with a girl at a place close to Tomobiki High, then headed to the bus stop on the Shin-Ōme Highway."

Hiromi hummed. "Who is she with?" Megane asked.

"Getting the general scan now," the younger man stated. "Just a moment."

"Why can't you do it faster?" Chibi wondered.

Tsukihana sighed. "What happens if the girl she met is a gynoid, too?"

The Stormtroopers took that in, and then nodded. "Where do you suppose they're going?" Perm then asked. "If Yŏn'i-chan's a fembot, wouldn't it be smarter to keep her closer to home? One good accident and she's revealed for what she is to everyone."

"What are you guys talkin' about?"

People turned. "Oh, Onii-san, ohayō," Hiromi said with a smile as Ataru walked into the room. "How was your date with Yui-san?"

"She went home happy. And still a virgin," he stated with a touch of pride in his voice; Ataru had been VERY worried about losing control of himself around any of his female classmates – especially the ones he considered his closest friends like Miyake Shinobu and Inu Chigaiko – since before he came back to Earth.

Megane jolted as his glasses fogged up. "_**ATARU! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO WITH THAT POOR GIRL? HOW DARE YOU TWO-TIME POOR LUM-SAN LIKE THAT? I SWEAR . . .!**_"

"'Toshi, how the hell can I two-time someone who's MARRIED to SOMEONE ELSE?"

People blinked on hearing that calm question posed to the leader of the Stormtroopers, and then they all turned and gazed on the poor man. A now shame-faced Megane immediately ducked the knowing looks coming his way from the Moroboshi siblings just as someone else walked into the operations room. "Ohayō, everyone," Shinobu called out, and then she stopped as she noted the embarrassed look on Megane's face and the other Stormtroopers trying not to laugh. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Someone still having problems accepting what happened in Onishuto several weeks ago, Shinobu-san," Hiromi said as she hid her own smile with her hand, and then she looked around. "Where's Onē-san? Didn't she walk you down to the planet?"

"She got called down by one of the girls whose old master spied on Mendō-san all the time. Something odd's going on down there, so they needed her help in resolving it," Shinobu stated as she took a seat beside Tsukihana. "What's going on?"

"Tsukihana's tracking one of the fembots from the Dobu Salada. She met up with someone who lives close to the school and they're now going to Nerima," Megane said.

Ataru's former girlfriend blinked. "Which house?"

"Right here, Onē-chan," Tsukihana said as he tapped controls.

A holographic map of the area around Tomobiki High appeared, the house in question marked with a flashing icon. Shinobu looked, and then she gaped as memory clicked in. "That's Tamako-chan's house!" she declared, pointing at it.

The others perked. "Tamako-chan? OUR Tamako-chan?" Ataru demanded.

"Hai! I went to a study session at her place when we were preparing to write the entrance exams for Tomobiki High two autumns ago! I should remember it!"

"What the hell would Tamako-chan want with a Korean fembot?" Kakugari asked.

"Because she's one herself."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"What?" Hiromi hissed out.

Tsukihana sighed as he tapped controls. A holographic image of Inoue Tamako then appeared. With a flick of a control, the image then melted away to reveal the complex mechanics that now lay underneath her skin. "She's a gynoid," he declared.

Stunned silence fell over the room . . .

* * *

Near Shin-Ōkubo JR Station, thirty minutes later . . .

"Haven't you felt that?"

Yŏn'i perked before she turned to gaze on Tamako. "Felt what?"

"A weird wave of energy my epidermal sensors have been detecting since we left the house," the raven-haired gynoid said as she – after stripping herself down to her bra and panties – laid down on the bed in the small minshuku located near Toshima Park in the heart of Tōkyō's largest ethnic Korean quarter. "I've never sensed something like that before, Yŏn'i-ya. It doesn't match any energy pattern that I was programmed to recognise when I was first activated in this body. What is it?"

Yŏn'i – who had also stripped down to bra and panties in respect to her friend and the imposition on her dignity being transformed into a gynoid had forced on her – shook her head. "I haven't really felt anything. Let me get you opened up and start the diagnostic, then we'll cyber-link and I'll see what you're looking at."

Tamako nodded as she felt the skin in her abdomen part . . .

* * *

The _Haida_ . . .

"I didn't know . . . "

It had been automatic, especially given Perm's revelations earlier that day.

"Dude, you weren't _supposed_ to know."

And given how Mifune Hideyuki was reacting now – after he had got over the initial shock of being literally _transported_ aboard a Terran _starship_ of all things, even if said starship had been built in an alien dockyard light-years away from Earth! – the others in the room could only feel sympathy for what the man was going through.

"Didn't anyone notice this at all . . .?"

Hiromi sighed. "Theoretically, either myself, Onii-san or Onē-san have the ability to sense something like this. But unlike Onē-sama, we really don't have the _experience_ in doing it with the automatic precision she can do. Onē-san was able to detect the gynoids at the Dobu Salada when she went on her date with Shinobu-san and the Nobushige sisters yesterday out of sheer dumb luck more than anything else. And since none of us have been very close to Tamako-san since we came back to Earth on Tuesday, we haven't had the opportunity to sense what's happened to her." She then gazed on a white-faced Hideyuki. "Hideyuki-san, I'm so sorry about this . . . "

He shook his head. "No! Don't apologise! It ain't your fault, Hiromi-chan!" he protested, and then he took a moment to take several deep breaths to calm down and fight down the urge to break down and cry over the thought of a beautiful woman like Sŏ Yŏn'i being a MACHINE of all things. Add to that one of his own CLASSMATES having been transformed in such a matter – despite how the various members of Class 1-4 felt about certain things, they always stuck together when the chips were done and someone was threatening them all – and it made Mifune Hideyuki wish he had never HEARD of the Oni.

"Who did this?" he hoarsely demanded. "How did that sort of tech get here in the first place? Why the hell do the NORTH KOREANS have it?"

"We don't know," Hiromi answered. "However, we can find out. Naoko-chan!"

A woman standing by one of the stations on the port side of the operations room perked, and then she walked over to stand beside the central plotting table. "What is the problem, Hiromi-sama?" she asked, her voice touched with a lilting Kyūshū accent.

"Could you get a channel open to the planet Okusei, please?"

"Specific destination?"

"Lum-san's personal communications unit."

"Hai!"

And with that, the green-haired, blue-eyed Takanashi Naoko headed over to a station to program controls. Hiromi then perked on sensing the surprise on the faces of her current guests. "Why are you calling Lum-san?" Megane then asked. "What could she do to help out?"

"She went to galactic elementary school with a Zeiwanite girl named Chara of Kutzei, Satoshi-san," Hiromi answered. "A literal mad scientist in the making, this one. When we were on Okusei, Lum-san and Ran-san both regaled us with many tales when it came to Chara-san and her ability to compose A.I. code for her planet's androids. Last they heard from her – about a year ago – Chara-san was in the process of launching a start-up company to eventually give her the capability of building her own programming and construction laboratory." A smirk. "And she's OUR age!"

The Stormtroopers all gaped. "Whoa! Are these Zeiwanites ALL like that?" Kakugari then demanded. "To start up a COMPANY at age SIXTEEN . . .?"

"Well, Chara-chan did sound to us like a Zeiwanite version of Tsukihana-kun here or Ayami-chan," Ataru said as he nodded to the young genius at the table. "But given that Zeiwan is a capitalist's paradise, I guess it's seen as simply proper to start early if you want to earn your first billion uniCredits before you're thirty."

"Guys, we DON'T introduce this girl to Mendō!" Perm warned.

Laughter filled the room, even from Shinobu. A polite cough then turned everyone's attention to Naoko. "Hiromi-sama, Lum-sama is answering."

"Main screen, please," Hiromi stated, and then she looked over. "Heaven's most sincere blessings on you, Lum-san. Oh, Benten-san! Studying together?"

"Yeah, we got a test in intergalactic relations we got to study for! Hey, guys!" Shigaten Benten said as she and Redet Lum relaxed in their shared quarters at the galaxy-famous Okusei Academy, one of Noukiios' most prestigious universities.

"What's wrong, Hiromi-chan?" Lum then asked. "Did something happen?"

"Not from your 'sisters,' I'm pleased to note," the reborn emperor replied. "However, we just made the discovery of Zeiwanite gynoids under the control of the government now in command over the northern half of the Korean peninsula across the East Sea from Japan. One of which turning out to be one of our own classmates."

"WHAT?" both university students exclaimed, wide-eyed.

Hiromi and Tsukihana explained the situation. At the end of it, Lum and Benten had horrified looks on their faces. "Shit!" the Fukunokami-turned-Avalonian biker babe-turned-university honours student spat out. "Was Tamako on the trip to Onishuto?"

"She was, Benten-san," Megane affirmed with a nod.

"Then if this happened to her, it must have happened in the seven weeks between your return to Earth and the return of Darling and his family to Earth, Satoshi-san," Lum then stated with an amused smile that made Megane's cheeks turn a very bright cherry; Ataru had briefed her on all the people who had become infatuated with Hensō. "Kuohu and Kyekkyek are too experienced to allow something like THAT to slip past them!"

"Would she still be the real Tamako-chan, though?" Ataru asked.

A shake of the head. "It depends on what type of tech was used in building the skin-job, Darling," Benten answered. "Do you need Chara to come visit you guys?"

"Discretely, Benten-san," Hiromi stated. "No doubt, the leaders of various worlds in the 'federation of lies' your ancestral races are a part of are still quite miffed by Noukiios' declaring the interior of this solar system – and thus, Earth – under their military protection through Kaep'-san's office. I don't want to give people like Invader an excuse to try to bypass what Onii-san declared concerning his people. I could order a ship out to fetch her from Tengsei if necessary."

"Pity you guys don't have a Stargate working on the planet," Benten noted. "Outside the Central Warp Chamber on Triton, that's as discrete as you can get."

"What's a 'Stargate?'" Chibi asked.

"A device that can create an artificial wormhole to allow effective instantaneous travel between planets, Akira-san," Hiromi answered. "Created by a race that lived many millions of years ago; no doubt, they're the last relics of such a civilisation." A sigh as she turned back to Benten and Lum. "As soon as Chara-san is ready to come, call us."

"_Tcha_!" Lum said.

The screen went blank. "So what do we do?" Hideyuki asked.

Ataru hummed. "There might be something you can do, Hideyuki."

He perked. "What?"

An embarrassed look then crossed Ataru's face. "Well, when Kyech and I broke up and I started having my 'problem,' she suggested getting a specially-designed Zeiwanite companion gynoid as a sort of 'dutch wife' to let me work it off so I don't end up threatening the girls in the class," he explained, ignoring the embarrassed looks on the faces of the Stormtroopers and Hideyuki, much less the annoyed look on Shinobu's. "I did a little research on them before we came back. Turns out it's often programmed in them to accept someone as a literal 'master' in an owner-like sense if said gynoid – or an android for a female 'mistress' – has sex with the person in question." As Shinobu gasped in shock and the Stormtroopers all gaped, he waved them down. "Hey, it's true! As etchi as it sounds, it's true!" He looked at Hideyuki. "If the North Koreans are using these girls as spies – and if the person who built them followed normal Zeiwanite safety standards for gynoids – the chances are there . . . "

"They could be turned into literal double-agents," Tsukihana finished.

"_**WHAT?**_" Shinobu screamed. "After all you did to save the Avalonians . . .!"

"Shinobu-san!" Hiromi snapped, which made her brother's former girlfriend freeze at the sharp bark in her voice. "Much that I personally agree that enslaving a sentient being – regardless of how said sentient being came into existence in the first place – is utterly repulsive, there IS the possibility that any of these poor unfortunates could be turned into the perfect assassins!"

"Or worse, living kamikaze bombs," Ataru added.

Stunned silence fell over the room. "Holy shit . . .!" Megane then breathed out. "What are you saying, Ataru? You mean that Tamako and Yŏn'i . . .?"

"Could be easily modified with plastique explosives – hell, even micro-nukes or an annihilation device – to turn them into a smart-bomb to destroy whomever they want to destroy," Ataru finished. "I read about that, too. It's outlawed on Zeiwan, but it's also a known tactic used by cyber-terrorists who get their hands on that stuff. It's not just in the realm of what Shatner-sensei wrote in his _TekWar_ books."

"I'll do it."

Eyes locked on Hideyuki. "Hideyuki-san . . . " Hiromi breathed out.

A smirk crossed his face. "If I have to do it – and if Chara-sensei says it's the best thing to do – I can take care of Yŏn'i-ya and Tamako-chan."

Ataru gazed at him. "Dude, you don't even know . . . "

The other man waved him down. "I can believe, can't I?" he asked before he gazed on Hiromi. "You said it yourself, Hiromi-chan. Yŏn'i-ya, Tamako-chan and the others . . . " He waved to the Avalonians manning the stations on the other side of the room. "They can all be turned into girls like Naoko-chan, right?" At the reborn emperor's nod, Hideyuki then shrugged. "So what's the problem here?"

"Hideyuki-kun . . . " Shinobu breathed out.

"It's better than letting Tamako-chan turn into a bomb!" he retorted.

She considered that, and then reluctantly nodded. "I don't like it."

"Shinobu-san, you're not supposed to like it," Hiromi stated. "Let's wait for Chara-san to come and help us analyse the situation before we decide what to do." She then sighed. "And we should ask Onē-sama about this as well. She should have detected what happened to Tamako-san quite easily." A smirk then crossed her face. "Weren't we supposed to go to the Kujūkuri Beach today?" she then asked as she gazed on Ataru.

"Doubt I'll enjoy it after learning about this," he lamented.

The others nodded. "Actually, Onii-chan, you're in luck," Tsukihana mused.

Hideyuki gazed at the younger man. "What do you mean?"

Tsukihana tapped a control. A holographic image then appeared, showing a smiling Inoue Tamako and Sŏ Yŏn'i, both stripped down to bras and panties, the former lying on a bed and the latter kneeling beside her, access hatches opened on their stomachs under their rib cages and cables connecting them. Both were holding hands and gazing fondly at each other. "Well, that's a couple," Ataru then trilled.

"Can you shut that off, kid?"

Tsukihana tapped a control, making the image vanish. Eyes then locked on Hideyuki as he stood up and moved to walk out of the room. "You okay?" Ataru asked.

He gave his classmates a smile. "They deserve privacy."

And with that, he stepped out . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Han Yŏngch'ŏl**, **Sŏ Yŏn'i**, **Inoue Tamako**, **Inoue Sachiko** and **Mifune Hideyuki** were all characters meant for _The Senior Year_ side-story "A Spy Among Us." Of course, the story concerning Yŏn'i and Tamako is much different in that story than what is depicted here.

2) Mendō Haruka's technophobia was amply demonstrated in the manga story "The Parents Day From Hell" (manga episode #51).

3) **_Winter Sonata_** (in Korean, _Kyŏul Yŏnga_; in Japanese, _Fuyu no Sonata_) was one of the main factors behind the "**Korean Wave**" (_Hallyu/Hanryū_) which heralded the spread of Korean popular culture (in television drama, movies and pop music) that began to be noted across East Asia and beyond, starting in 1999 in China and eventually going elsewhere.

4) Korean: **Ŏmma – ** Mother; **-ya** – Korean version of "-chan" for vowel-ending names (the suffix used for consonant-ending names is **-a**).

5) **Hamgyŏng Province** (_Hamgyŏng-do_) is one of the traditional Eight Provinces of Korea. Located in the northeastern part of the country, the province was administratively split apart into _Hamgyŏngbuk-do_ (**North Hamgyŏng Province**) and _Hamgyŏngnam-do_ (**South Hamgyŏng Province**) in 1896. The province is named from the characters that go into two of its larger cities, Hamhŭng and Kyŏngsŏng (remember that in Korean, the soft "k" sound becomes a "g" sound when placed in the middle of a word or word-phrase). North Hamgyŏng was traditionally named "Kwanbuk" (literally meaning "north of the ridge") with South Hamgyŏng being nicknamed "Kwannam" ("south of the ridge"), the ridge in question being Mach'ŏnnyŏng located on the very border between the two provinces near the coast of the East Sea at the city of Kimch'aek (formerly Sŏngjin). **Ryanggang Province** (in South Korea, it is known as **Yanggang Province**) was split away from South Hamgyŏng in 1954.

6) A **minshuku** is a smaller version of a **ryokan** (Japanese-style inn); a location like this is the local equivalent of what is referred to as a "bed-and-breakfast" in the West.

7) **Chara** is a minor character from _The Senior Year_; she first appeared in the story "Darling's Other Girlfriend."

8) **Takanashi Naoko**, of course, is another character from _Grand Prix_ that also made it to _Find Love_.

9) The term "**skin-job**" (first used in the movie _Blade Runner_ and later revised for the reimaged _Battlestar Galactica_) is the common phrase used to describe lifelike androids on Zeiwan. The concept of "**kamikaze androids**" – in effect, androids designed to blow up on contact with a target – was a recurring theme used by William Shatner in his _TekWar_ series of science fiction novels, published between 1989 and 1997. Something like it also appeared in the 1966 spy-spoof movie _Dr. Goldfoot and the Girl Bombs_, starring Vincent Price. The concept of an "**annihilation device**" – a bomb fuelled by anti-matter – was introduced in the 1986 _Star Trek_ novel _Crisis on Centaurus_, written by Brad Ferguson.


	7. Eternal White

Yokohama, Hodogaya Ward, Sunday 7 March, late morning . . .

"Welcome to the Kagura Shrine, Negako-sama, everyone."

A nod. "We are pleased to be here, Misaki," Negako stated before she gazed on her companions. All of them were formally dressed in either hakama or kimono. "May I present my last host and now adopted brother, Moroboshi Ataru. His adopted sisters, Tariko and Hiromi. My current student, Mizunokōji Asuka." She then waved to the women who had greeted them as soon as they came to the torii marking the front gate of the shrine located on the north shore of the Katabira River flowing through this part of Japan's largest port city. "May I present the granddaughter of Kagura Kamihito and grand-niece of Kagura Nakahito, Kagura Misaki. Misaki's daughter, Nako."

"Welcome to the Kagura Shrine, everyone," Nako said with a polite smile as she bowed formally to them. "The memorial to Ataru-sempai's predecessors as Negako-sama's hosts is this way. Please follow me." She then turned around . . .

. . . and then yelped on seeing that her foot was about to drop down right onto the back of one of the many chickens that resided here. A quick snare by Negako on the collar of the younger girl's kimono top – she was dressed in the proper accoutrements of a Shintō shrine miko – made sure she didn't fall flat on her face. "Nako, I do not believe the chicken would appreciate you snapping his spine with your foot," the ninjutsu grandmaster calmly stated as Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi fought down the urge to laugh. Asuka was taking a chance to gaze around the shrine grounds, which reminded her very much of the convent in the mountains of Kyūshū where she had spent almost all her life. "Have you always suffered from such a chronic lack of physical coordination?"

Nako blinked. "Eh?"

"Onē-san means this, Nako-chan: Have you always been this clumsy?"

"Onē-san!" Hiromi snapped as she glared at Tariko.

Nako looked embarrassed. "It sucks so much . . . "

"Well, at least the weekly horoscope was right," Misaki noted.

"How so?" Negako stated as she moved to help Nako straighten herself.

"Well, it said today that Aries people would be meeting a lot of interesting people," Misaki stated as she waved the others to come with her and Nako towards the main shrine building. "Actually meeting _Imperial Special Agent 49_ herself, to say anything of the man who was her last host – who was also the man who saved all of humanity last summer in the Tag Race – would certainly qualify as that!"

Nako blinked, and then she nodded. "Hai!" She then frowned as she looked toward one of the buildings at the edge of the ground. "I just wish it was Kurumi-san . . . " she added in a whisper, one which Negako and her siblings picked up on.

"What's this?" Tariko teased. "You're crushing on Kurumi-chan?"

"Onē-san!" Hiromi snapped before she gazed apologetically at Nako, and then she glared back at her sister. "Stop saying such terrible things to poor Nako-san!"

"If what I now plan for the Steel Angels comes true, the chances are very good that Kurumi and Nako may become lovers," Negako then stated.

Nako gasped . . . just as her foot caught on a rock sticking out from the sandy ground around the shrine, sending her falling face-first into the dirt! In a flash, Ataru was there to help the poor raven-haired second-year middle school student back to her feet, handing her back the round-frame spectacles she wore over her big, bright blue eyes. "You okay, Nako-chan?" he asked as he gave Negako an annoyed look.

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai . . .!" Nako moaned.

"Negako-sama, can you help her walk better?"

Nako turned to gaze at Asuka, who had a confused look on her face. "How would you recommend Nako correct her problem with her physical coordination, Asuka?"

The young heiress of the Mizunokōji sports empire hummed as she considered that, and then she nodded. "Alright." She then moved to grasp Nako by the arms and place herself right behind the younger woman. "Nako-san, raise your right leg," she then sternly declared. "Make it parallel to the ground, let the lower leg dangle."

"Ah, h-hai!" Nako – who was now blushing at the idea of the other girl now standing so close to her ordering her around like this – responded as she did what Asuka told her. Instantly, her body began to sway as her sense of balance faded out, but she didn't fall much thanks to Asuka holding her tightly by both arms.

"Relax," Asuka sternly declared. "I won't let you fall. Focus your mind on your left leg. Put all your power on the left leg and you'll balance yourself."

"H-h-hai!"

Noting this, Negako nodded. "Asuka, march Nako to the entrance of that building there," she said as she pointed to the structure where the young shrine miko had been looking towards when she mentioned Ayanokōji Kurumi. "Do not enter the building. Pace her back and forth between the building and the torii until I tell you to stop."

"Hai, Negako-sama!" Asuka said with a stern nod.

Everyone else then backed off as Asuka began to instruct Nako on how to flamingo-walk. Watching the younger Mizunokōji with her own daughter, Misaki could only grin. "Where exactly did you find that girl, Negako-sama?" she then asked.

"She's engaged to a classmate of ours, Misaki-san," Hiromi explained. "However, due to an interesting family superstition, Asuka-san was raised totally away from any man whatsoever. The poor girl hadn't even the foggiest idea what a man was supposed to be. She needs a chance to become familiar with society as a whole before she could ever hope to help end the family feud between her clan and the Mendō Clan."

"Oh, so she's a virgin in more than just body, right?" Misaki wondered.

"Yeah, unfortunately she is," Tariko noted. "Lucky thing we've got the spare house we can use as guest rooms. I don't want to think of what might happen if the poor kid walks in on Ataru or Otō-san when they're in the bathroom washing down."

The others all chuckled save Negako, who remained as calm as ever . . .

* * *

A half-hour later . . .

"So how are Nako's lessons, Asuka?"

Asuka hummed. Nako was now flamingo-walking on her own between the various buildings on the shrine grounds. The Moroboshi siblings had just finished paying their respects to the fifty-six people before Ataru who had taken the Sacred Promise of Bunka Go-nen, which had been made reality as an all-encompassing magical spell placed on each host of the _Saik__ō__ Jinseijutsu_ whenever her living spirit was shifted over from a dying host to a potential new host. Said spell had actually been made by Nako's distant ancestor, Kagura Seimei, who was the most powerful onmyōji of his day.

"She's too soft, Negako-sama," Asuka then stated.

"You mean physically soft?" Ataru wondered.

Asuka gazed on him. The Moroboshi sisters were quick to see the flash of mixed confusion and curiosity in the younger woman's eyes when it came to dealing with Ataru, the first man she had actually spent any length of time in close company with since she had been brought from the convent to her family home some months before. Still, given that Ataru himself didn't want to do anything which could harm Negako's new student either in the short-term or in the long-term, there hadn't been any bad incidents since Asuka had been brought from the Mizunokōji mansion shortly after dawn. "Well, I realise that very few people are like myself, Ataru-san, so yes, there is a physical softness to Nako-san. But there's also a spiritual softness in her as well. Negako-sama, you told me that members of the Kagura family were very powerful onmyō-dō mystics. Why hasn't Nako-san been given any sort of formal training in that discipline?"

"Sadly, that's because I myself didn't inherit the gifts my father, grandfather and grand-uncle possessed," Misaki stated; she had accompanied the Moroboshi siblings to the small shrine set aside for those who had sworn the Promise of Bunka Go-nen. "Otō-san died just after Nako was born and there are few others left with those type of skills." She then smiled at Negako. "When I saw your picture on television and heard who you were, I actually hoped you'd come by here to help teach her those things."

Negako took a moment to consider that. "Would you still desire such, Misaki?"

Misaki jolted, surprised by the snap offer the ninjutsu grandmaster had just presented her. "W-well . . . " she then sputtered.

"We have the room," Tariko noted.

"And if Nako-san is infatuated with Kurumi-san, helping her master whatever gifts she may possess would do her well when the day comes that Kurumi-san and her sisters worldwide are to be finally woken once more," Hiromi added.

"There IS that other promise, Onē-san," Ataru noted as he gazed on Negako.

Negako lightly smiled. "True."

He tried not to grin too much as he crossed his arms and stared at her. "Why the hell aren't you burning tracks to Mahora to get that girl?" he demanded.

She gazed in amusement at Ataru. "In due time, Ataru."

"What?" Misaki asked.

"Don't you know, Okā-san?"

Eyes locked on Nako, who just marched over to them. "What?" Misaki asked again.

Nako smirked. "Negako-sama is lovers with Shichinohe Kaga-san."

Asuka blinked. "Who is Shichinohe Kaga?"

Nako giggled . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home, after lunch . . .

"Ataru!"

Ataru sighed. "What is it, Kā-san?"

"Can't you do something about her?"

He blinked, and then took a deep breath before he turned from his homework to stare at his mother, who was now standing at the entrance to his bedroom. Noting the annoyed look on her face, Ataru shook his head before turning back to his books. Seeing him do that, Kinshō shuddered, though she did fight down the urge to grab one of her meat-cleavers and point it at him to make him pay attention. Knowing what her son was capable of doing now – to say anything of the fact that Ataru was clearly growing tired of deferring to a mother he pretty much seemed not to care for anymore – his mother knew that threats like that wouldn't register with him these days.

Before she could state anything, footfalls heralded Tariko coming up to head into her bedroom, which had been the former guest bedroom on the upper floor; Hiromi had the guest bedroom on the main floor beside the living room. Negako planned to live full-time in the dōjō now being constructed on the former Ryōki family property behind the Moroboshi home; she currently resided in Ataru's bedroom as she didn't have much in the way of personal possessions to require a separate bedroom of her own and he wouldn't hear of her staying in the guest house. "Tariko!" Kinshō snapped as she spun on her, which made Tariko stare in confusion at her. "Do something about her!"

"Do something about what?" Tariko asked.

"Negako! Why is she dragging in these strange people to the house?"

"Because Onē-san was asked very nicely by Tobimaro's mother to help Asuka-chan get used to the idea of being in normal society after being raised in a convent all her life," Tariko calmly answered, one of her eyebrows twitching as she sensed what was ultimately driving her mother into confronting her over this whole situation. _Stupid control-freak doesn't seem to want to learn there are more important things in life than living in a dreary, ordinary home, wasting away while life passes you by just because you think you're owed something by society. Lazy idiot!_ "And Onē-san was ALSO asked very nicely by Nako-chan's mother to help Nako-chan get in touch with whatever powers she may have inherited from her own ancestors. What the hell are you bitching about, anyway? They're staying in the guest house, not here."

"What about the food they eat?" Kinshō snapped.

"Relax. With the stipend Asuka-chan's mom gave Onē-san, we could buy all the groceries we need for all of us, PLUS Asuka-chan, PLUS Nako-chan and STILL have money left over to eat out every night," Tariko stated. "Besides, Asuka-chan knows how to cook; she learned that at the convent. If you need help in the kitchen, ask her."

The older woman balked, and then she shuddered. "Tariko, you listen . . . "

_KK-KRACK!_

Ataru turned to watch as his mother was sent flying backwards down the stairs to crash head-first into the floor by the entrance to the kitchen, all courtesy of a snap backhand fist into her nose thanks to Tariko. Standing, he headed over to the door to look down at his dazed mother before shaking his head in annoyance. "And to believe that YOU were the respectful one!" he said as he winked at his twin.

"It's like Noukiites always believe, Ataru," Tariko stated. "Filial piety has to be _reciprocated_ with _**respect**_ to be earned in the long run."

"I wish . . . I never . . . had him . . . "

He jolted on hearing that moaned statement from Kinshō, and then he spat out, "Well, that makes it 2,216 times!" As a yelp of fright escaped the older woman on the main floor, he turned back to his bedroom. "I'll note it in my REAL diary!"

Tariko laughed as she headed into her own bedroom. Downstairs, Kinshō groaned as she moved to pick herself off the floor, a dazed look on her face as her mind tried to wrap around the fact that Tariko – who had been the part of her son who had behaved with both decorum and respect when the incident with the space candy and the cursed cake went down some months ago – had just HIT her! After a moment, she gazed at her husband, who was in his usual place by the living room table, reading the newspaper. "Dear . . .!" she moaned. "Didn't you see what YOUR daughter just did to me?"

"Uh-huh . . . " Muchi trilled from behind the business columns.

"Aren't you going to do something about it . . .?"

He flipped the page. "If you don't like it, go get a job."

Kinshō fell flat on her face! At that moment, the back door opened, revealing Hiromi. She stopped on noting her mother on her knees by the foot of the stairs, and then she walked over to look into the living room. "Otō-san, what happened?"

"Two thousand, two hundred and sixteen times!" Tariko called down from upstairs.

Hiromi perked, and then she sighed before she gave her mother an annoyed look. "Baka Okā-san! You really DO wish to grow old and die alone, don't you?"

Kinshō's breath caught in her throat on hearing THAT, and then she once more turned to stone as the reborn emperor turned to head into her bedroom.

"Who'll take care of me . . . when I'm old and grey . . .?"

* * *

Meanwhile, out in space, approaching the Jupiter orbit line . . .

"Forget it . . . "

The picture clicked over to display a new image.

"Not my type . . . "

A new image came up.

"Ugly . . . "

Another new image came up.

"What in the name of the Eternal Nest?"

Instantly, the projector unit was smashed down, plunging the viewing room into total darkness. "_**WHAT DO I LOOK LIKE TO YOU?**_" the shrill voice of a certain crown princess regent from a planet over a hundred light-years away from Earth then shrilled over the sounds of various blunt instruments being applied quite vigorously onto the skulls of her servants. "_**CAN'T YOU FIND ANY MAN THAT I COULD MATE WITH?**_"

"Aaaaaah!" a shrill, high-pitched voice wailed. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry!"

"Lights!" someone barked out. "Someone, turn on the lights!"

The darkness then faded as overhead lighting was flicked on, revealing a panting woman with raven hair styled in two wing-like ponytails behind her elegantly tapered ears, a pair of dark chestnut eyes glaring from a very beautiful yet hawkish face. Given who she was and where she had been raised from childhood, it was understandable.

"Princess, you say 'no' to all of them," the eldest of the Tengu currently aboard Kurama's personal star cruiser stated as he stood on the back of the chair where she was currently sitting. "They can't all be 'not my type,' you know."

Kurama growled. "_**ARE THESE PITIFUL EXCUSES THE BEST YOU GOT?**_" the crown princess-regent of the Kingdom of Karasutengu, located about 410 light-years out-spin from Earth, then shrilled as she tried not to strangle one of the other winged avians who served as her ship's primary crew. Not getting an answer from the one she often called "Old One," she then rose. "Enough! I'm taking the day off and resting . . .!"

"Princess! Princess!"

She paused, turning to gaze on one of the other Tengu. "What is it?"

"There's one more," the young Tengu stated. "This one's REALLY good!"

Kurama blinked, and then she sighed. "Oh, of all the . . . "

Another Tengu flew over to the projector machine, reaching over with his forepaws to change the memory cartridges. "Just wait until you see this one, Princess!" he asserted with as much positive emotion as he could.

"Oh, yes!" yet another Tengu said as he came to help; he had seen what had just been detected. "What a face! You'll definitely love this one, Princess!"

A moan. "You idiots say that all the time . . . "

The room went dark as the projector was turned on. Kurama blinked as her eyes adjusted to the reduced light, and then she turned to look . . .

. . . before her eyes locked on the image on the screen.

"Oh, Eternal Nest . . .!" she gasped as drool began to leak from her lips.

The Tengu around her all nodded in delight. "Yes! Yes!" the one who had first alerted his princess about this particular find said with an earnest nod. "It turns out that he's one of several THOUSAND Niphentaxians who fled from . . . "

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**_"

In a flash, Kurama's hand snared the hapless winged avian and yanked him right up against her face. "_**ARE YOU IMPLYING I SHOULD MATE WITH A **_**NIPHENTAXIAN**_**?**_" she shrilled at the top of her lungs. "_**THAT'S LIKE MATING WITH ONE OF . . .!**_"

"Princess, he's HALF-AVALONIAN!"

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"W-w-what . . .?" a wide-eyed Kurama sputtered.

The other Tengu who had helped with the projector flew up to hover close to her. "Princess, in the report Master Ganzo dai-Louc released concerning the Avalonians to Crown Princess Lupica for all our attention, he described a systematic government crackdown on ALL Niphentaxian-Avalonian hybrid children born of fathers from Phentax Two or her colony planets and mothers from the Avalon bioroid factory," he explained. "If any of those children were known to exist, the children AND their mothers were seized by government authorities for transport back to Phentax Twelve and placement in cryogenetic storage. According to Master Ganzo, among the over two billion Avalonians the factory created, there are at least TEN MILLION hybrid children, well over half of them being MALE!" He waved to the picture on the screen. "This one fellow here is just an example of what such cross-breeding produced. A MAN who could serve as the father of your child . . . and since he has SAGUSSAN genes inside him . . . "

"You would inherit those genes while carrying his child, which would make you the spiritual equal of any of the _Daishi'cha_ now on Sagussa itself," Old One finished. "It's PERFECT, Princess! And if this one doesn't work out, there must logically be many more of them residing on either the bioroid factory or moving to live on Earth!"

Silence fell anew as the _de facto_ ruler of her mixed-race homeworld and her nine colony worlds considered that, and then she sighed. "W-w-Well, I suppose w-w-we could go visit this person. Do you have a name for this one at least, Old One?"

"Yes, Princess. His name is Kei dai-Reinolzu."

A nod. "Find out where he currently lives. It's fortunate that the Noukiites were kind enough to recognise my ancestry as giving me clearance to visit Earth. Much that I understand why the leaders of the United Nations are so upset over what that boor Ōgi nearly unleashed in Moroboshi Ataru's home town, the needs of the Kingdom come first."

"At once, Princess!" Old One declared . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home, after supper . . .

"A courier from the Korean Embassy?"

"That's what the fellow said," Muchi stated. Supper that evening had been a rather tense affair with Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi all giving Kinshō cold shoulders. Negako had been her normal quiet self, with Asuka and Nako spending time talking to the grandmaster's siblings. Muchi had ignored everything by reading his paper, refusing to say anything substantial to Kinshō when she tried to provoke an argument with Ataru. "He said he came down here concerning something called the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ . . .?"

Hiromi nodded. "Ah, yes! So the first ones come. I'll go see them, Otō-san."

She got up and walked into the foyer, where a smiling man in a modern plain version of a commoner's hanbok was standing. He was alone, though Muchi knew that a limousine had brought him to this place and there were people who had accompanied him, all of whom were dressed like he. Seeing him for the first time, Hiromi then chuckled as she deeply bowed to him. "Yi-daet'ongnyŏng, what on Earth brings you here this fair evening?" she greeted him in nearly accent-less Korean as she gave him the classical right fist-in-left open palm salute that had been used in old China centuries before.

The visitor chuckled as he bowed in return. "I apologise for intruding on your noble home at such a late hour of the evening, Moroboshi-yang," Yi Myŏngbak stated in his native tongue, glad he didn't have to put his rusty Japanese to the test in dealing with the reborn emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty. "To say anything of coming here incognito." He glanced at Muchi, who – thanks to his not being able to speak Korean – had no idea what was going on. "Is there someplace here where we can converse in private? It concerns the ship your friends named after the late Kim Ku-sŏnsaengnim."

"I believe that the guest house should suffice for us," Hiromi then offered before she turned to look upstairs. "Onii-san! Onē-san! We have a guest from the Korean Embassy!" she called out in Japanese. "Could you come join us, please?"

Ataru and Tariko peeked out from their bedrooms, and then – on seeing the current president of the Republic of Korea in THEIR home – they ducked back into their bedrooms for a moment before coming down to join them. President Yi was quick to see the case in the former's hand, no doubt with the medal of the Gold Crown Order of Cultural Merit that had been awarded to Moroboshi Ataru after the Tag Race. "There was no news about you coming here for a visit, Mister President," he then stated as he and Tariko both bowed to the Ōsaka-born ex-mayor of Sŏul, who had resigned from his post a year before his election to the Blue House three summers before. "Why the disguise?"

"That, Moroboshi-gun, I would prefer to speak of in a more private and secure setting," the President stated as he gazed hopefully at Hiromi.

"Right this way, sir," Hiromi then declared . . .

* * *

Minutes later . . .

"So it has been decided that each nation represented in the Earth Defence Force will be allowed to fully own and crew the ships from their own armed forces?"

"Ne, Moroboshi-yang," President Yi replied. "In our case, the Republic of Korea Navy will be the primary group which will take administrative command and control of the vessel, formally commissioning her as the Republic of Korea Starship _Paekb__ŏ__m_. I will note that operational unified control when the ship is operating with other vessels will be vested in whatever organisation the people in New York City come up with." He gazed on the Chief of Naval Operations for his nation's navy, Admiral Chŏng Okkŭn, on saying that. "Of course, the Marine Corps, the Army and the Air Force won't be left out." He indicated the other senior officers of his country's armed forces on mentioning their groups. Like Admiral Chŏng, Army Chief of Staff General Han Min'gu, Air Force Chief of Staff General Yi Kyehun and Marine Corps Commandant Lieutenant-General Yi Honghŭi were all dressed in hanbok, as was the young fellow with the glasses who had accompanied them; the President had yet to introduce him. Hiromi, Ataru and Tariko had been quick to sense that whoever that fellow was, he was clearly some sort of intelligence officer or a special forces operator. "I've seen the report your young friends prepared about these ships; Emperor Akihito and Queen Elizabeth were pleased to pass them on to all of us. Much that such an incredible gift will be of benefit for all of humanity, the idea of creating a separate uniformed organisation outside any national control . . . "

"Is something no one is yet prepared to do," Hiromi finished.

Another nod. "Ne."

The reborn emperor considered that, and then she sighed. "Well, when we decided on the names for these ships, Tsukihana-ya, Ayami-ya and I agreed that the chances were there that it might go in that direction," she mused. "So how soon would the good Admiral Chŏng's people have a preliminary command team ready to assume control?"

"Not for some time, Moroboshi-yang. We estimate by end of this year," Admiral Chŏng responded after a quick glance to President Yi to get his permission to answer. "We – and I'm speaking for my friends here – are still absorbing the fact that so many Avalonian-Koreans are now mobbing all the recruiting centres in the Republic to join, both full-time and part-time service." A chuckle. "Even those poor unfortunates who don't resemble Koreans are flocking to the recruiting stations in droves."

"They won't be turned away, will they, Admiral?" Tariko asked.

"Of course not, Moroboshi-yang," General Han answered. "While we're leery of the idea of allowing them to serve in front-line combat roles – especially anywhere close to the Demilitarised Zone – the fact that they are willing to serve will free up thousands of young men to reinforce our forces facing our errant northern brothers."

The Moroboshi siblings – Tariko was currently serving as the hostess, preparing Noukiite-style ginseng tea with red pepper powder; for the visitors from Sŏul, having such an odd drink was unique to say the least of it even if Koreans as a whole loved putting red pepper powder on next to everything they ate – nodded. "From what we've been told by Otako Meinyak-daet'ongnyŏng, there are those willing to resettle within the northern provinces of your tragically-divided homeland currently aboard the bioroid factory at this time," Hiromi mused. "But given how . . . " Here, she made a side-to-side motion with her head, which made the visitors from Korea laugh. "Erratic, shall we say?" As the laughter increased, the reborn emperor shrugged. "Well, until such time as the worthies in P'yŏng'yang finally wake up to the idea that their cause would be better served by engaging in more civilised behaviour, such will not happen."

"Understandable. Given what we've heard happened to those poor people, to literally walk into a place like the North would be foolish," President Yi noted, and then he smiled. "So how soon can the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ be properly painted Navy grey?"

"Do you have a particular pattern you wish displayed on her hull?"

Admiral Chŏng handed over a sheet of paper with both hands. Hiromi took it with a nod of thanks, and then she nodded. "Very nice," she stated before reaching into her sweater pocket to pull out a device similar to the Apple iPad. Flicking a control to turn on the screen, she called out, "Moroboshi to _Paekb__ŏ__m_. Yunjin-a, are you there?"

"Ne, Hiromi-yangnim," a voice called back as a three-dimensional image appeared over the screen, revealing a pretty girl with the standard Oriental mix of black hair and dark brown eyes. She was currently dressed in the white sleeved jumpsuits that were the effective uniform for all the Avalonians – two hundred per ship, the visiting Koreans all knew – now aboard the fifty star battleships in orbit over Earth. "The current analysis of North Korea to detect other Zeiwanite gynoids or androids anywhere in the country has yet to be fully completed." As the visiting Koreans all gasped in shock, the girl added, "We should have the analysis finished in another three days."

Hiromi sighed. "Kamsahamnida, Yunjin-a. Please stand by."

"What is this about?" President Yi immediately demanded.

The reborn emperor breathed out. "Something we just discovered several days ago, sir," she stated before her eyes fell on the handsome fellow seated off to one side. "I would assume your other companion is either of the National Intelligence Service or the most honourable 707th Special Mission Battalion of the Korean Army."

The fellow, who had oval reading glasses over his eyes and appeared to be in his mid-thirties, perked on sensing Hiromi gaze knowingly at him, and then – after a quick look to the President to get his permission to speak – he nodded. "Ne, Moroboshi-yang. I actually serve as part of the Operations Protocol Group, the special missions force of the NIS. I'm Yu Chung'won." A self-depreciating chuckle then escaped him. "Ironically, I was sent here to keep an eye on yourself, your family and your friends because we at the NIS now suspect that North Korean special forces and intelligence officers are making their way into Tomobiki. All in response to the Tag Race."

Hiromi, Ataru and Tariko exchanged looks, and then they sighed. "Well, this is what we've discovered so far, Master Yu," the reborn emperor began . . .

* * *

The _Paekb__ŏ__m_, two hours later . . .

"Wow . . .!"

"I pray it's not too overwhelming, Master Yu."

Yu Chung'won blinked before he shook his head. "It'll get there," he admitted before gazing on Hiromi, who had taken her place in the admiral's chair – or so it was called here – in the combat information centre of the soon-to-be-commissioned first starship of the Republic of Korea Navy. The NIS agent – now accompanied by his current O.P. partner, Hwang Chŏngmin; he had been stationed outside the Moroboshi home itself when his country's president and his companions had gone inside to meet with the Moroboshi siblings – had sat himself down at one of the side chairs around the main operations plotting table. "How advanced is this technology compared to ours?"

"At best estimates, about five thousand years, Master Yu," a strange voice answered in accented Korean as the aft door opened, revealing Hakaru Ayami. She moved to take her place on the starboard side of the table to Hiromi's right, tapping controls on the small dataPADD in front of her to key into various programs. "So far, the scan of North Korea is only about forty percent complete, Ŏnni," she reported, keeping to Korean as she gazed on the reborn emperor. "We should start tearing into the area around P'yŏng'yang within three hours. No counter-detection by ground units."

"I still can't believe it," Chŏngmin muttered. Sensing both of his hosts gaze at him, the young NIS agent added, "We were briefed on all races of the Federation known to the MIBs just after that Hensō girl came here last summer. The Zeiwanites are passionate about capitalism to the point where the heads of the major chaebŏl back home would be green with envy about . . . and they're SUCCESSFUL to boot, too! Why on Earth would a native of that planet want to help _communists_ of all things?"

"Especially the ones in the North," Chung'won added.

Hiromi sighed. "I'm not as familiar with that race as I am with the races whose representatives have come to Earth over the last half-year or so. But from what I do remember hearing of them, elements of their society also engaged in a radical socialist experiment similar to what Vladimir Lenin started in Russia in 1917. As a matter of fact, the Zeiwanite version of the Cold War between America and Russia here actually flared into a world-wide conflict which was inundated with the use of nuclear weapons."

"The 'Atomic Wars,'" Ayami added. "It nearly destroyed the planet, but enough people survived to pull together, create a world government and start rebuilding with help from the Yehisrites, one of the major superpowers in this part of the galaxy."

"They were one of the groups that helped you people liberate the Avalonians from slavery," Chung'won stated as he gazed understandingly on Hiromi.

"A very honourable race," the reborn emperor said.

As the two Korean officers nodded, Ayami added, "It was around this time – about two centuries ago our time – that artificial intelligence technology really took off and the first life-like androids began to appear; they were developed as cheap labour to help in the rebuilding of urban centres and clean up of radioactive hot-spots. Over time – especially as the technology advanced to allow androids and gynoids to reach the point where they could develop level 'G' sentience, which is their term for someone who is as real in spirit as one born naturally – the Zeiwanites put very strong ethical laws into place when it comes to the treatment of androids. Part of those laws is to prevent their export to potentially questionable new masters or mistresses."

"The North Koreans would be ranked in that category, I take it," Chŏngmin noted as he gave the young girl genius a knowing look.

A nod. "Ne."

"And since the Chinese and the Vietnamese are pretty much developing their own form of 'social capitalism,' our cousins north of the DMZ are the only 'pure' socialist state left on this planet," Chung'won noted. "Outside Cuba."

"If you could call what Kim Chŏng'il is in charge of 'pure socialism,'" Chŏngmin sarcastically added before he perked as one of the Avalonians now manning this ship came up with a tray with cups of steaming liquid on it. "Oh, kamsahamnida," he said, nodding in thanks as he took one of the cups of hot tea – he noticed it was apricot tea – from the tray.

She gave him a light smile. "Ch'ŏnmaneyo." She then came over to present the tray to Chung'won, who also nodded his thanks as he took a cup from it.

Both men then watched as she walked over to present the tray to Hiromi and Ayami so they could get something to drink before heading to the port side of the CIC to bring drinks to her sisters. "How old is she, anyway?" Chung'won asked.

"About a week old," Ayami answered. As the two visiting NIS officers gaped at her, she blushed. "We hijacked a ship full of girls like her from a slave dealer just as Ŏnni and her siblings went in to liberate the factory. All of them wound up on the _Haida_ and the _Yamato_. Since it was much easier – and wouldn't cause as much in the way of problems if we used older girls – we decided to create batches of girls to man each ship."

"Really?" Chŏngmin said as he looked back at the small crowd of Avalonians at the other side of the room. "Damn! They all seem so human . . . "

"In many ways, they are as human as you or I, Master Hwang," Hiromi noted. "Which made what the Niphentaxians did to their older sisters all the more reprehensible." A sigh. "Believe me, when I fully understood what had driven Elder Ganzo all his life to achieve, I was more than happy to convince my siblings to assist in the liberation of the factory and all of their kind from their 'masters'' chains." A shake of her head as she hissed, "'The crimes of my _guilty_ race will never be purged away but with _**blood**_! I had once believed that without very much bloodshed, it might be done. I know differently now. The purge must be _**total**_ and it must be done _**without mercy**_! Only then would the last century of misery we have imposed on _**sentient beings**_, descent of the very world where the Maidens of the Eternal Voyager now reside, will be answered!'"

Both NIS men shuddered; they had been quick to sense the tone of unyielding fervour in the words their host just quoted. "Who said that?" Chung'won asked.

"He was Ganzo dai-Louc. Formerly of Phentax Two, now of Okusei," Hiromi said. "The very man that my sisters and I owe our very _lives_ to!"

"I'd love to hear this story," Chŏngmin mused.

"Oh, it is quite an interesting tale, Master Hwang . . . "

* * *

Tomobiki High School, Monday 8 March, before classes . . .

"Holy . . .!"

"Hey! Who's the cute chick?"

"Man! She's even cuter than Sakura-sensei or Hensō-chan!"

"What's she doin' with Mendō . . .?"

"Damn! Look at her! She kinda looks like him, don't she?"

People looked. "Yeah! I'd swear that was Mendō's own twin sister!"

"You mean like . . . Tariko-chan is to Ataru?"

Jaws dropped. "Holy shit! You don't mean . . .?"

Eyes locked once more on the lovely pair of people in silver uniforms – in reflection of her brother's style, Mendō Tachiko was draped in a silver seifuku of the same pattern that was worn by female students here; her tie was in her clan colours of pink and dark grey with the Mendō Clan's octopus-head _mondokoro_ – now walking up the central front pathway to the main doors. While Mendō Shūtarō seemed to be scanning with his eyes left and right to ensure that anyone – especially any MAN! – who might have impure desires concerning his new sister would be caught before she was harmed, Tachiko herself remained calm and collected, though there was the hint of an amused smile twitching her lips concerning his willingness to be an overprotective big brother to her. In an odd reflection of her brother's choice of personal side-arm in the form of a modified Type 94 shin-guntō officer's sword manufactured before the start of World War Two – the Mendō Clan honour sword was always in the personal possession of Shūtarō's and Tachiko's paternal grandfather, retired Imperial Army Colonel Mendō Genjurō – the newest member of the Mendō Clan of Musashino carried a pair of sheathed kaiken daggers secured under her skirt as the traditional weapon of the sister or wife of a samurai, a naginata, was a little too large to carry around; many members of the school staff had always complained about Shūtarō always carrying a _sword_ with him to class and his sister wasn't in any mood to deal with similar complaints directed at her.

"Are you frightened, Tachiko?" he asked.

"No, Onii-sama," Tachiko calmly declared, trying not to grin too much. Much that she personally didn't care for her brother being so overprotective of her, she could sense how much he cared for her in the end, so she could tolerate it. "As soon as our peers receive the proper explanation concerning me, I doubt there will be much in the way of resentment, fear or any other negative emotion to hamper my becoming a member of the class." She sighed. "Breakfast was peaceful this morning, was it not?"

A nod. "Indeed. Okā-san surprised me very much."

"Naturally. I suspect that when Negako-sama talked to her before she returned back to the mansion, she equated my 'birth' to some odd form of magic practiced by Hensō-san's so-called 'most faithful.' To even SAY the 'T' word in front of her . . . "

"Makes her most upset."

"Indeed."

"Ryōko seemed quiet today."

A smirk. "Of course. For the first time in a long while, she had actually been tricked into playing along with something someone else planned to have happen. Her pride is hurt. The very thought of _commoners_, let alone _aliens_, besting her . . . "

A sigh. "True." He then perked on noting the three people standing at the front steps of the main school building. "Ah, Hiromi-san! Tariko-san! Moroboshi!"

"Hey, Shūtarō! Tachi!" Tariko called back with a smile. "Onē-san told me your mother was pretty a-okay about what happened on Saturday. How's Ryōko?"

"She's a little miffed right now, Tariko-san," Tachiko answered. "She didn't say anything, but her emotions were an open book to me. She doesn't like being bested by anyone. Especially anyone loyal to Onii-sama like Mizuho-san and her friends."

"Will you be safe?" Hiromi wondered.

A sigh. "I should be fine. Okā-san has been fawning over me since we first met, so Ryōko won't do anything overt towards me while she's around."

"She won't be there all the time," Ataru warned.

"Hai, but I think using some tricks Shiina loaned me will make her behave."

Hearing that, Ataru and Tariko shared a knowing look, which made Hiromi roll her eyes as she glared at them. "Isn't it so cute, sis?" he asked. "They're in love."

"Well, you can't fault Tachi's good taste, you know!" she said back.

Tachiko blushed. "ONII-SAN! ONĒ-SAN! STOP THAT!" Hiromi shrilled. As Ataru and Tariko ducked from their sister's annoyed look, Hiromi breathed out before she turned to gaze on the newest member of the Mendō Clan of Musashino. "I do apologise for my siblings' behaviour, Tachiko-san. There are times that I believe it is both of them who need to learn lessons of tact more, not Onē-sama."

"Well, what do you expect from commoners, oh Emperor of the Gokan?" Tachiko wondered as she slipped her arm around Hiromi's and walked her inside.

As Ataru and Tariko both awked, Mendō nearly fell down laughing . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Kagura Misaki** and **Kagura Nako** first appeared in the anime series _Kōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi 2-shiki_. **Kagura Kamihito** and his brother, **Kagura Nakahito**, were primary characters in the original _Kōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi_, both the anime and the manga. Like with the other Steel Angels, I based **Shichinohe Kaga**'s family name on the person credited for her creation in the original manga (and given that one half of the Kaishaku team is one Shichinohe Terumasa-sensei, it doesn't surprise me that Kaga actually made it to the first anime series). The term **onmyō-dō** means "path of yin and yang;" an **onmyōji** is a practitioner of onmyō-dō.

2) **Kurama** and the **Tengu** are all semi-regulars in _Yatsura_; they all first appeared in the manga story "Just Like A Woman" (manga episode #19). The scene with Kurama was inspired by the first scenes of the manga story "My Groom Is a Girl" (manga episode #155). **Kei dai-Reinolzu** was a character I was planning to place into _Lonely Souls_, but haven't got the chance to write the scenes with him (much less his brother and sister half-Avalonian hybrids) to date.

3) The officials who visited Hiromi et al were the people in those positions at the time of this story. In writing this story, I use the proper McCune-Reischauer reading of people's names as it is an accepted practice in South Korea to Romanise one's name according to the various systems, both official and unofficial, that have cropped up over the decades when it comes to rendering han'gŭl characters into Latin letters. However, given that the M-R system is, in my opinion, very accurate when it comes to rendering such characters into letters that could be understood by most readers, I don't think it's really necessary to identify who is exactly who that is being mentioned in this story.

4) The **707th Special Mission Battalion** of the South Korean Army, nicknamed the "White Tigers," is the Republic's answer to America's Delta Force or the British Special Air Service. They are based in Sŏngnam, a city to the southeast of the capital city of the Republic, Sŏul (often Romanised as "Seoul").

5) The **O.P.** was the organisation the hero of the movie _Swiri_, **Yu Chung'won** (played by Han Sŏkkyu), worked for. The initials weren't explained in the movie; the phrase "Operations Protocol" is my invention. The actor **Hwang Chŏngmin** played an O.P. officer in the movie, but the character name was never quoted in the credits.

6) Korean terms: **Hanbok – **traditional Korean clothing; **-yang** – honorific applied to an unmarried young woman; **-gun** – honorific applied to an unmarried young man; **Ŏnni** – Elder sister (as addressed by a girl); **Chaebŏl** **– **family-owned conglomerate (the Korean version of the Japanese _zaibatsu_ concept); **Ne – **Yes; **Kamsahamnida** – Thank you; **Ch'ŏnmaneyo** – You're welcome.


	8. The Dragon's Seashell of Hamachaya

A knock. "Negako-san?"

"Enter, Hideyuki."

The door to the small staff office on the ground floor that had been set aside for the ninjutsu grandmaster – it had been a storage closet, but Negako had not minded – opened to reveal a nervous Mifune Hideyuki. "Sorry to disturb you," he said with a bow of his head. "Can I ask you something?" he then asked. "About Tamako-chan?"

An eyebrow arched. "You know the truth about her. And of Sŏ Yŏn'i."

He jolted on hearing that statement, and then quickly recovered, nodding. Even if he understood the full extent of what Moroboshi Negako was capable of, listening to a statement quite like THAT was still a lot to get used to. "Y-yeah. Tariko-chan discovered what was going on, then passed it on to me." He took a seat beside the desk Negako had been given. "She also told me that it might be possible to swing Tamako-chan and Yŏn'i-ya away from whoever's controlling them by . . . well, er . . . "

A fleck of annoyance appeared on her face on seeing him stumble on the words. Why on Earth could people not speak of such things more openly? "By engaging in sexual intercourse with them," Negako finished as she gazed at him.

Another jerk, and then an embarrassed nod. "Y-yeah . . . "

The grandmaster's eyes narrowed as she turned to gaze in the general direction of Class 1-4. Noting this, Hideyuki remained silent. Like many of his peers, he had been taken aback by the breadth and depth of Negako's capabilities. And like many of his peers, he had been frightened to the core of his being on learning that this being – claimed by some to be the deadliest human being alive today, which was substantiated by the statements from the Imperial Palace concerning the actions of "Imperial Special Agent 49" (the spirit of the _Saik__ō__ Jinseijutsu_ then in the subconscious mind of Ataru's paternal great-grandfather, Moroboshi Ryūbi) that ensured the final surrender of the nation after the release of the Shōwa Emperor's Imperial Rescript ending the war on 14 August 1945 – had been in Ataru's subconscious mind for a decade, slowly transforming him physically into one of the most physically perfect specimens of humanity ever to live . . . even if, at the same time, she was using him to eventually collect enough anti-ki under the Tarōzakura hill at the south end of the Mendō estate to eventually create a body for herself to use, most likely at the cost of Ataru's own life.

What had utterly astounded Hideyuki and his peers was how Ataru had simply accepted what had happened to him over the years with a shrug, a wink and a smile, and then moved to get on with his life. Thinking of that, he then remembered what Ataru said on his first day back in classes when he had been asked about the Sacred Promise and how much taking that oath had affected his life, for good and ill: _I was just six years old when it happened. I was told at the time that I was being asked to save a pretty girl from dying. What did I know about meta__-__psionics or the fact that this 'girl' I was being asked to help save was my planet's first true artificial intelligence? Besides, you've seen On__ē__-san, haven't you? Can't you see how beautiful she is?_

Remembering that, Hideyuki then recalled that everyone else – especially all the girls who had been the targets of Ataru's girl-hunts in the past – had laughed it off, then agreed that no matter what the cost, helping a sentient being become the true master of her own destiny was the right and proper thing to do in the end.

"You can do it."

He jerked on hearing Negako's words, and then he breathed out, a knot of nervousness suddenly forming deep in his heart. "So they're sex-droids, right?"

A nod. "Yes. The person who unleashed this on Tamako – her name is Conna – made use of a personal companion gynoid design when she constructed the replacement bodies for her as well as Yŏn'i and the thirty-eight other sentients currently in Tomobiki. I have yet to meditate to ascertain how many others may be elsewhere in country, to say anything of what might be still in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea." A sigh. "You are nervous about engaging in such activities, are you not?"

He blushed. "Y-yeah. I mean, yeah, you hear about guys braggin' about making the 'C' mark with girls, but . . . " A shake of the head. "Shit! You know most of that is just bullshit, but you don't call 'em out on it!" As she stared in confusion at him, he added, "They might try to call you out! And if they do, you look like ten types of idiot for lyin' about things like that!" He then looked down. "'Sides . . . "

"You believe doing that will be tantamount to rape."

Hideyuki jolted, and then he nodded. "Yeah. I don't want to do that to Yŏn'i-ya, Negako-san. I like her. I like her a lot. That ain't the right thing to do to someone like that, even if she was built as a gynoid in the first place. It's no different than doin' that to any of the Avalonians in town. Or on the ships Tsukihana and Ayami-chan built. Or on the bioroid factory itself. It's just not right."

"There is one mistake you are making about them."

He stared at her. "What's that?"

"They are not just gynoids," Negako warned. "In truth, all of them – save Conna herself – were once organic humans native to North Korea. Or here in Tomobiki in Tamako's case. Conna made use of a unique model of medical nanite to rebuild them all into what they are now. And while they do not possess the ability to spread a nanite 'virus' to infect other people, what happens if Conna notices what you have done to them – especially Yŏn'i since she is in contact every day with Conna – should you proceed to have sexual intercourse with them and thus take overall control of them?"

He started to pale. "What should I do?"

She gazed at him. "What are your feelings concerning Tamako?"

He paused to consider that for a moment, and then he sighed. "She's okay. I like her . . . but I don't look at her the same way I do Yŏn'i-ya. Tamako's like a lot of the other girls in class; she was so ga-ga over Mendō, there was just no use in asking her to go on a date. You remember the day shortly after he came here when they all started passing on friendship cards to him? When we tried to convince a girl to act as 'Nobade Shinobi' to try to date Ataru and piss Mendō off?" At her nod, he then perked. "What did happen, anyway? Who was that girl who came to the café?"

"That was Hensō, Hideyuki."

Silence.

Hideyuki gaped, and then he laughed. "Oh, shit! She was watching us, right?"

A nod. "Yes. It was around that time that Hensō decided that she did love her 'darling' and elected to pursue him in earnest. Of course, I had manipulated Ataru to treat her with kindness to ensure she would remain on Earth; she was a most efficient source of ki energy through her bio-electricity, not to mention her presence affecting all of you like it did." Negako then sighed. "No matter. Anyhow, your first object in your mission, Hideyuki, is to turn Tamako to your side. Will you do it?"

He tensed, and then took a deep breath. "She was turned into a gynoid against her will, right? All to give the North Koreans a look into our class, right?"

"She was."

"Then I got no choice. What do I have to do?"

Negako stood up. "I will expose you to the tantric forms of my family Art. As a whole, they are addressed as the _Goj__ū__ni Sanji_, written this way." She picked up a pencil and sketched out five kanji characters on a sheet of paper.

He looked. "'Fifty-two Mountain Temples?'"

"Hai. Now, this is what is to happen . . . "

* * *

"You have to admit, Tariko-chan, you had that coming to you."

Tariko blinked, and then she shrugged. "Yeah, you're right," she said as she gave Shinobu a glance before turning to finish the can of ice coffee she had got at a local vending machine before coming to school. She and Ataru were still by the front doors waiting for the majority of the students to stream in for a new day of classes; the first bell was still about fifteen minutes away. Mendō himself had gone inside to head to class; Tachiko was being interviewed by the Principal before she would be officially welcomed as a student at the school. "Still, I think the one thing the class doesn't need is a female version of Shūtarō taking Hensō's place and making all the guys go totally ga-ga over her. That'd drive the poor guy nuts."

Shinobu perked, and then she hummed. "True." She then stared at her. "By the way, can I ask you something?" At Tariko's nod, Shinobu indicated Ataru, who was now chatting away with Obinata Hiromi and Yamagata Masako. "Why doesn't Ataru-kun react whenever a boy tries to flirt with you, like Mendō-san does at times?"

A smirk. "He pulled that 'protective big brother' bullshit back on Okusei shortly after we all got our bodies thanks to Ganzo-ojiisan," Tariko explained. "It was nothing bad; just a nice guy who worked at a restaurant in the village closest to the Okusei Academy wanting to go on a date." A sigh. "This was just after that barrel of 'laughs' we all had on Morningstar Plain. Ataru just gave the poor guy a look and that fella was running for the hills, screaming his head off." A sip of the ice coffee. "I told him right afterward that if he ever pulled that shit again, I'd make him a eunuch, even if he was still sharing a futon with Kyech at the time."

Shinobu gaped at her, and then she giggled before she relaxed. "Still, he does love you, you know. And given how awful your mother is at times . . . "

A snort. "Tell me about it. Stupid idiot can't stand the fact that Onē-san is trying to help poor Asuka-chan adjust to being in normal society for the first time in her whole life – and then offered to take in the descendant of the onmyōji who crafted the spell that made the Promise what it was to help her discover her gifts – and because Onē-san scares the living hell out of her, she tries to take it out on Ataru and me." Tariko finished the rest of her ice coffee. "Well, if she still wants to be a jerk, Baka Kā-san can just grow old and die alone. Too bad for her."

Shinobu looked confused. "'Grow old and die alone?'"

A smirk. "It's something we came up with after we found out about our 'engagement' with Elle. When we were preparing our tux before Hensō came to kidnap us, Baka Kā-san was moaning on and on about who would come back to take care of her when she was retired." Tariko crumpled up the coffee can, and then flipped it into a nearby garbage receptacle, making a perfect three-point score with her toss. "And this is the same idiot who – after we got 'engaged' to Hensō – told us to write us when we finally got settled down on her home planet." A shake of the head. "Jeez. I can understand grieving for the loss of a child, but this is just ridiculous."

Shinobu sighed. Much that she herself hurt because of what her own actions – and yes, inactions – had done to her oldest friend, she still believed in the sanctity of family. Given that Tariko and her siblings HAD returned back to their family house in lieu of moving to someplace new when they returned to Earth last week, it should have told Moroboshi Kinshō _something_ about how her children still felt for her. Even Tariko's words spoken now had hinted to the fact that despite the annoyance and anger she felt now concerning her mother, she still cared for her. _What's going to happen at times like Ataru-kun's birthday or Children's Day?_ she then wondered to herself.

"It'll be a make-or-break day," Tariko mused.

The other girl blinked, and then she jerked. "Hey!" she snapped as she glared at Tariko. "Stop spying into my thoughts like that, Tariko!"

Tariko smirked. "You were broadcasting them a little too much."

Shinobu stopped, and then she flushed. "Sorry . . . "

"Don't apologise. You're still getting used to this. So am I, believe it or not," the other woman admitted, and then she perked. "What the hell . . .?"

Shinobu gazed at her. "What . . .?"

Noting where Tariko was looking, she turned to look herself . . .

. . . and then gaped. "What on Earth is THAT?"

"Hey, Oyaji! We there yet?"

"Yes, we're here! Now, keep pushing!"

"Yeah, yeah! I'm pushing!"

As other people turned to look, a middle-aged man with wildly-styled black hair and small dark eyes on a weathered face, dressed in a T-shirt emblazoned with the phrase _**I LOVE THE SEA!**_ over a pair of worn canvas trousers, walked onto the property. Said person was pushing a bullock cart by the yoke, a vehicle which was laden with a massive amount of personal belongings and equipment, all topped with a shop noren that declared _**HAMACHAYA – WE LOVE THE SEA!**_ Noting this, Tariko was quick to sense another person involved in this event, someone currently seated and relaxed on the back end of the cart. Said person – _A girl? This guy's daughter?_ Tariko wondered – was dressed in a matching T-shirt (with the same declaration as her companion had) and worn blue jeans. Before she could wonder what was happening, the man pulling the cart then demanded, "Are you SURE you're pushing this thing, Ryūnosuke?"

"'Ryūnosuke?'" Tariko wondered.

"Yeah, I AM pushing, Oyaji!" the young girl in the back smoothly lied, which made Tariko smirk to herself. "Maybe you're just gettin' old an' senile!"

The man then paused before he let go of the yoke, which made the cart tip over and bury poor Ryūnosuke under everything that was on it! As the people watching this from places off to the side blinked in confusion, a shuddering Ryūnosuke bolted up from under a pile of clothes and furniture, then started grabbing things and began pelting her father with them. He, of course, grabbed said objects out of the air and moved to set them down on the ground. By then, Ataru and his companions had taken notice. "Who on Earth is that boy?" Masako then asked. "Is that going to be a new student?"

"That's not a boy."

People who heard that all turned to Ataru. "You sure?" Megane – who, with the others of the Stormtroopers, had been standing nearby – wondered.

"Look at the front of her neck," Ataru stated. "Notice something missing?"

People looked. "No Adam's apple," Perm reported.

"Yep. That's a girl," Ataru stated. "Her ki's that of a girl, too . . . even if she's had quite the hard life. Hey, Hiromi-chan," he then moved to ask Obinata Hiromi. "You think you can run inside and get Onē-san out here?"

She blinked. "Why?"

Ataru nodded to the old man who was intercepting everything Ryūnosuke was hurling at him. "Because we may be dealing with a potential child abuse victim here and if Tariko gets her hands on the father . . . " he then advised in a warning voice.

Hiromi and Masako both paled. Like almost everyone else from Class 1-4, they knew of the current state of affairs in the Moroboshi home. And given that what was being heaped mostly on Ataru was _verbal_ abuse, if they were about to get a victim of _physical_ abuse as a schoolmate, Moroboshi Tariko and Moroboshi Hiromi – with Moroboshi Negako helping out due to her own feelings of loyalty to her family – would become a pair of very OVERPROTECTIVE lionesses when it came to this Ryūnosuke girl. _What type of man would name his daughter 'Ry__ū__nosuke?'_ both girls then wondered.

Thinking on that, both then shuddered.

"Be right back!" Hiromi said as she ran off.

By then, most of the items that had been on the cart were piled up on the front walkway. Watching this strange event, Tariko then sighed as she calmly walked over to stand right behind the older man who was facing down his angry daughter's wrath. As Ryūnosuke picked up a rather large love chair from the pile around her and tossed it over – which made all the people watching this gape in awe at such a show of strength – Tariko then leaned over to tap a point in the middle of the older man's neck. He jolted as he felt his arms and legs suddenly lock up from that touch . . .

. . . just as said loveseat smashed into his face, knocking him down!

Fortunately, Tariko had quickly ducked clear from having the older fellow tumble into her as he collapsed to the ground, a moan escaping him. She was now walking around the tipped cart to where Ryūnosuke was, the latter now panting hard from such a considerable exertion. "You okay, Ryūnosuke-chan?" Tariko then asked.

Ryūnosuke spun around to glare at her as Tariko instantly sensed a bubbling of resentment billow up from deep with her heart – no doubt because of some belief that she had to fight her own fights, which was starting to chime in with an overall picture that was making Tariko cringe deep down for this other woman – and then that feeling was quickly capped by a clamp of steely discipline augmented with a profound sense of chivalry that was almost Western in origin. _Holy shit! What the hell has been going on with this girl?_ Tariko mused to herself before she cleared her throat. "Sorry about that," she said. "Much that we don't mind the floor-show, a pretty girl like you doesn't need to exert yourself when your dad seemed to be doing okay on his own."

Ryūnosuke blinked, and then she sighed. "Look, I hate it when . . . "

It hit her.

"What did you just call me?"

Tariko blinked. "I called you a pretty girl," she answered. "Yeah, you seem to be a tomboy, but I've met loads of tomboys in the past. Nothing wrong with that."

Watching the just-arrived girl, Ataru's twin was then quick to sense something akin to . . . _hope_ . . . billowing from deep within Ryūnosuke's heart. _Shit! That cinches it!_ Tariko then mused as she spared the still-unconscious father a glance.

"Um . . . th-thanks . . . " Ryūnosuke then sputtered, her cheeks reddening in such a manner than some of the boys around her – who were being quickly told what Ataru had spotted about her by friends who had been closer to him when this all started – all began to whisper to each other, noting how cute that reaction looked. "I never thought I'd EVER meet anyone, guy or chick, who could tell I was a girl just by lookin' at me!" She then glared at her father, who was slowly starting to revive from having a love chair smashed into his face. "I just wish Oyaji'd finally go along with it!" she then snarled. "For as long as I can remember, it was always, 'Be a man! You're supposed to be a man!'" A weary look then appeared in the girl's deep brown eyes as she looked once more at Tariko. "All because of a fuckin' tea shop . . . "

An explosion! "_**RY**__**Ū**__**NOSUKE!**_"

She turned around . . .

. . . just as a wall of water seemed to appear out of NOWHERE to tower over her and Tariko, with her father standing before it, a mixed look of outrage and sorrow on his face. "_**FUJINAMI RY**__**Ū**__**NOSUKE! WHAT TYPE OF **_**MAN**_** ARE YOU, ANYWAY? HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU THIS? YOU ARE THE **_**ONLY**_** INHERITOR OF THE HAMACHAYA! YOU ARE THE **_**ONLY**_** ONE WHICH CAN GUARANTEE THE FUTURE OF OUR FAMILY AND OUR POSTERITY! AND BECAUSE YOU ARE MY **_**SON**_** AND A **_**MANLY MAN**_**, ONLY YOU CAN MAKE SURE OUR FAMILY WILL CARRY . . .!**_"

"Low blow."

He stopped. "Eh . . .?"

_CRUNCH!_

"I love the seaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa . . .!" he wailed as he found himself propelled into the morning sky thanks to a well-aimed kick down _there_ thanks to Tariko!

"Nice kick, Tariko!"

Tariko snorted as she turned to gaze on Ataru, who had walked up with Shinobu, Masako, the Stormtroopers and some other people. "I got tired of listening to the old idiot's verbal diarrhoea right after he mentioned Ryūnosuke-chan's name, Ataru," she said before she gazed on Ryūnosuke, who was staring at her with a mixture of awe and gratitude. "Something tells me he's been harping on this 'family inheritance' kick for as long as you can remember, right?" At the other girl's nod, Ataru's twin sighed. "Jeez! What type of idiot would actually force a GIRL to behave as a BOY?"

"Where's your mom in all this, Ryūnosuke-chan?" Ataru then asked.

A sigh. "Okā-chan died shortly after I was born," Ryūnosuke breathed out.

Looks of sympathy then appeared on everyone's faces. "Our deepest condolences, Ryūnosuke-san," Megane then said before he turned to gaze on the pile of personal belongings nearby. "What the hell are you doing moving all your stuff here, anyway?" he then asked. "Don't you have an apartment or a house to move into?"

"Nah! Can't afford the key money for an apartment!" Ryūnosuke said with a depressed yet resigned shake of her head. "Only place we could move into is the spare rooms here at the school since Oyaji agreed to become the janitor here after we lost our beach tea shop a week ago thanks to some freakin' tōshi from both Nan'yō and Yōshū havin' a fuckin' rumble right on the beach where we lived outside Chōshi. Totally wiped out the house. They didn't even stick around to try to fix things up, either!"

"That is most unfortunate, Ryūnosuke-san."

Ryūnosuke turned . . .

. . . and then screamed out in shock on seeing the woman with the silver magatama hanging off her left ear. "_**T**__**Ō**__**SHI!**_" she screamed out as she found herself jumping in front of Tariko. "_**STAY BEHIND ME, LADY! I'LL KEEP YOU SAFE!**_"

Hiromi blinked. "Ryūnosuke-san, why on Earth would I attack my own SISTER?"

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Eh?" Ryūnosuke gasped before she looked at Tariko, then to Hiromi, then back at Tariko again before she moaned. "Oh, man . . .!"

Laughter echoed from the crowd around her. "If I can interrupt this for a moment, everyone, the Principal has told me about Ryūnosuke-san coming to join us in classes today," Hiromi then called out. "Given her family's current financial woes, three storage rooms by the cafeteria on the ground floor have been set aside for her and her . . . father." Her eyebrow twitched on mentioning that man. "What say we show a little Tomobiki High hospitality and help move all her things into that space before we get her over to Chikamatsu-sensei and Sakurambō-sensei?"

"Let's get to work, guys!" Megane called out.

People immediately pitched in to help out . . .

* * *

Beside the cafeteria, an hour later . . .

"Damn! You got NO real girl's clothes whatsoever?"

"Nah!" Ryūnosuke breathed out as she looked around the new space that would serve as her new bedroom. Fortunately for her, the door that connected it to her new living room/kitchenette was easily sealed. Given that the only items of clothing which could BARELY be seen as female were the pairs of boy shorts she had in lieu of standard girl's panties – "The only way Oyaji'd approve of me getting them were because they were _boy_ shorts!" Ryūnosuke had explained when she had been asked about it minutes before by Hiromi – the fact that this poor woman had been forced to dress as a boy and pretty much act as a boy made many of the people helping her move in ache at the thought of what her life before coming to Tomobiki was like. "I'll lay bets that when he filled out the registry form to get me into classes here, he marked me as a boy!"

"_**WHAT?**_" everyone else bellowed out.

"Oh, ye gods! Is this moron REALLY that blind?" Inu Chigaiko demanded.

"Most likely!" Hiromi spat out.

"Do not be concerned about that matter, Hiromi. It has been corrected."

People turned as Negako walked into the room. Following her were the two school nurses assigned as the first-line health team for the staff and students at Tomobiki High School, Chikamatsu Fusae and Sakurambō Sakura. Naturally, given how beautiful the latter was, almost all of the boys – Ataru was the clear exception – began to drool unashamedly on seeing the supermodel-like nurse/Shintō shrine miko in her normal work clothes of a button blouse, above knee-length designer slacks and a doctor's smock over her shoulders. Dressed in almost the same way as her co-worker, Fusae – a woman in her early thirties with long brown hair in a ponytail and blue-green eyes under reading glasses – earned friendly looks from all the girls and Ataru; ever since their first meeting in the wake of the "world oil theft" incident after the Tag Race, Ataru had never really trusted Sakura with health issues even if he was as attracted to her as any of the other guys in the school. "You corrected it, Sensei?" Ryūnosuke then gasped. "Damn! When Oyaji finds out about that, he's gonna go nuts!"

And sure enough . . .

"_**RY**__**Ū**__**NOSUKE! WHAT **_**LIES**_** HAVE YOU BEEN TELLING THESE POOR PEOPLE?**_"

"_**TAIFUN KAZE-TE!**_"

The sound of something akin to an M-134 Minigun going off at full rock-and-roll fire echoed through the new bedroom as Negako's arms became a blur. As people watched in both awe and delight, Mr. Fujinami seemed to float in the air as his body was peppered by HUNDREDS of punches nearly breaking the sound barrier all over his face and body. After a half-minute of that, he collapsed into a dazed and bruised heap on the floor in the new living room of the residence, his eyes spiralling as a pained moan escaped him. As Negako relaxed, Ryūnosuke's eyes were wide with awe. "Holy shit . . . how the fuck did she DO that sort of thing?" she nearly gushed.

"She's Imperial Special Agent 49, Ryūnosuke-san," Shinobu provided. "The woman who literally ended the Greater East Asia War . . . and MADE SURE it stayed ended!"

The beach café tomboy blinked. "Wait a sec'! That was SIXTY-FIVE years ago!" She pointed to Negako. "Sensei here don't look a day over TWENTY at the . . .!"

"Ryūnosuke."

Ryūnosuke jerked on hearing that ice-cold voice. "H-h-hai?"

"Do not call me 'Sensei,'" Negako coldly declared. "Now come with me to the medical station so Fusae, Sakura and I can give you a proper examination."

Ryūnosuke blinked. "Uh . . . y-yeah . . . "

People around her laughed . . .

* * *

The nurse's room, a half-hour later . . .

"Oh, ye gods! I never thought I would EVER see something like this!"

"Hey, Sensei! It ain't THAT bad!"

"'Ain't that bad?'" Fusae demanded as she stared at Ryūnosuke, who was busy slipping her sarashi – that this girl didn't even have a BRA to properly support her considerable bust had stunned the older woman – back over her chest. "Ryūnosuke-san, if Negako-san's readings of your health are ever the LEAST bit true – and I know her enough to know she would NEVER lie about something like this! – you've suffered from malnutrition, severe cases of frostbite, severe colds, heat stroke . . . and that DOESN'T begin to cover all the PHYSICAL wounds you've suffered! Ten broken bones, a dozen pulled tendons and muscles . . . " She shook her head. "That you survived all that is a miracle! But if you stay in the custody of that MONSTER you call a father, you won't survive to reach adulthood, let alone finally try to learn how to be a proper girl beyond what you've been taught about menstruation!" A sigh. "Sakura-san, I feel we have no choice. We have to report that man to the police!"

"I concur," Sakura said, nodding in agreement.

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?**_"

Fusae turned to gaze on a wide-eyed Ryūnosuke. "Ryūnosuke-san, what you have endured almost your WHOLE LIFE has been nothing more than CHILD ABUSE! I realise it's a hard thing to accept given that you clearly still care for him, but what he's done to you is something that NO child – especially no GIRL! – should EVER have to endure!" She then sighed. "I'm going to call the police down right now to . . .!"

"Fusae."

The older nurse stopped as she gazed at Negako. "Negako-san?"

"There is a less-traumatic way of dealing with this issue."

Silence.

"'Less-traumatic?'" Sakura asked.

Negako nodded. "Indeed. What Ryūnosuke has endured all her life since she was separated from her mother – I am not sure if said mother is still alive or not, so I will not speculate at this time on that issue – is quite harsh by any standard. But there are factors you have to consider before unleashing the legal authorities on Fujimi."

"WHAT factors?" Fusae demanded.

"That raising Ryūnosuke to be a 'man above men' is the ONLY way Fujimi understood when it came to raising a child, Fusae. Boy OR girl."

More silence.

Fusae blinked before she sank into her chair. "I don't understand . . . "

Negako sighed. "There is WILLFUL child abuse in this world and other worlds," she stated. "What Kinshō engages with concerning Ataru could be seen that way even though it is ultimately rooted in her still-simmering grief over Kaeru's death and the disappearance of his body. There is also a form of child abuse that is not perceived by many – both the 'abusers' and the 'victims' alike – as child abuse." To Ryūnosuke. "Ryūnosuke, what is the annual earnings of the Hamachaya?"

The beach café tomboy blinked, and then sighed. "If we clear a hundred thousand a year, it's a damn good year, Negako-san," she confessed.

Both nurses' jaws dropped. "Oh, ye gods! You've lived in POVERTY all that time?" Fusae demanded as her hand flew up to cover her mouth.

"What poverty?" Ryūnosuke asked. "Yeah, it's kinda dumb to keep runnin' the teashop in winter or other times of the year people ain't on the beach, but we still survive. We fish for food all the time, we grow our own vegetables and have all the rice and tea we would ever want. We don't ever starve." A smirk. "For as long as I can remember, I never really cared too much beyond that. Yeah, I never had the latest clothes or those little mobile phones people got . . . but who really needs them?"

"She's a fisherman's daughter," Sakura then concluded.

"In a sense of the term, yes," Negako agreed with a nod before she gazed on Ryūnosuke. "Ryūnosuke, when were you separated from your mother?"

A shrug. "I dunno. Every time I ask Oyaji about what happened, he just goes into a cryin' fit. It hurts him too much to think about anythin' else."

"So clearly, it was when you were an infant, correct?"

A nod. "Yeah, I guess so."

"And given Fujimi's passion for the Hamachaya's continuance, I believe he was raised in as similar a fashion as he raised you, correct?"

Another nod. "Yeah . . . "

"It's like what Mizunokōji Asuka now faces," Sakura noted.

"In her own way, yes," Negako affirmed with a nod. "However, thanks to the odd quirks of the Dào, Ryūnosuke – and her father as well – have the opportunity to broaden their horizons and understand how other people live. We all must agree that while keeping a family restaurant and tea shop going is an understandable reason for people to live so frugally, that keeping said restaurant open even in WINTER is wrong."

"Fuckin' right about that!" Ryūnosuke sighed as she remembered the times that she had been forced to stand out in the cold of winter as her father moved to keep serving the very RARE customers who came to Hamachaya for a hot tea.

"So why should you not take advantage of this shift of circumstances?"

Ryūnosuke gazed at the ninjutsu grandmaster. "What d'you mean?"

"Ryūnosuke, despite all the physical health issues you now have to deal with, you possess enormous potential as a martial artist. Were you a student in my family Art, I would easily rate you a chūnin were you trained in the proper forms." Negako was then quick to sense the swelling of sheer PRIDE that billowed from the tomboy's heart on her saying that. "If you make certain shifts to your lifestyle – and ultimate accept a potential offer I can give you to help permanently correct your health issues, a gift that can be prepared within the hour if required – you could easily become BOTH the 'man above men' that Fujimi wishes you to become so you can 'inherit' the mantle of owner of the Hamachaya . . . AND become a true woman in your heart and soul." As Fusae and Sakura both gaped in shock at her, Negako leaned down to stare into Ryūnosuke's eyes. "He acts like a samurai and has made you try to act that way as well. Thus, you have become predictable to him, Ryūnosuke. It is time for you to embrace another way of life. The way of the ninja. Are you interested?"

Ryūnosuke blinked . . .

* * *

Minutes later . . .

"A . . . most interesting approach to this issue, Negako-san."

Negako sipped her tea. "Despite their propensity for unleashing violence on each other virtually without provocation, there is a deep love that binds Fujimi and Ryūnosuke together," she stated as she gazed on the Principal. Along with Kotatsuneko – who had, at Negako's urging, moved out from Ataru's bedroom to take up residence in the guest house beside the Moroboshi home as his primary "indoor" quarters – and vice-principal Onsen Mark, Fusae and Sakura were present as they discussed the latest student to take classes at Tomobiki High School. "I suspect – though I have yet to do a deep analysis of the situation – that Fujimi himself lost his mother at an early stage in life, thus forcing his own father to raise him alone. His loyalty to the memory of his wife is quite iron-clad; he will NEVER entertain the idea of seeking out another wife for the remainder of his life. And while his single-minded determination to maintain his illusions when it comes to matters such as Ryūnosuke's true gender is also quite iron-clad, he has not pushed her to the point where desperation would make her consider breaking fully away from him. Unlike Ataru when it comes to Kinshō, Ryūnosuke has no known relatives she could shift herself to and be free of Fujimi once and for all. She has accepted that with considerable stoicism to the point where ANY suggestion towards forcing legal action against Fujimi would effectively destroy her emotionally."

"It would break the poor child's heart, you mean?" the Principal asked.

"Yes."

"But that's something that will have to happen sooner or later!" Fusae objected. "I can't believe that over the years, NO ONE has taken the opportunity to try to force that man to stop treating his only child like that! Surely someone tried . . . "

"And ultimately failed."

Eyes locked on Negako. "He made her believe that there's no other way for her to live than to live with him under his rules," Onsen stated.

"Indeed, Mark. Because of that, Ryūnosuke has been effectively conditioned to not accept any sort of serious assistance towards allowing her to live her life under her own control and beliefs without great hesitation. In a way, forever removing Fujimi from her life and blocking any attempts by him to force himself back into her life would do her much good. But the psychological damage such a separation would unleash on Ryūnosuke would be horrendous, potentially fatal to her." Negako's eyes then narrowed. "Do you really wish to allow something like that to happen?"

"Of course not," the Principal stated. "What do you suggest we do?"

"We allow her to become an Avalonian."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Why?" Sakura gasped. "You can't possibly think turning her into an Avalonian will help her in the end! All it'll do is force her to accept powers . . . "

"Which Fujimi cannot counter, Sakura."

The nurse/shrine miko stopped. "You said he used some sort of shiatsu on her on occasion," Fusae then stated. "That means he has a good idea how her body works and how to make her bend to his will. By turning her into an Avalonian . . . "

"Ryūnosuke will be effectively made invulnerable to any sort of manipulation either by shiatsu or by drugs – I saw evidence of that in her ki signature as well – by Fujimi. That will begin the process of shoring up the one place where she is extremely vulnerable: Her confidence in herself and her ability to succeed, which he has undermined again and again to maintain control over her. Doing that – in conjunction with training I will give her to better defend herself – will allow her to take firmer control over her life away from him. And if such can be done and Fujimi is led to believe that his 'son' is becoming the 'man-above-men' he envisions, so much the better. But if such eventually makes Fujimi resort to more radical measures of suppression, Ryūnosuke will be more than strong enough to PROPERLY deal with him . . . and accept deep in her own heart that a full break from him is required for her to live her own life." Negako then smiled. "Regardless of which path future events will take, she will emerge from this process much stronger than before, both in body and in soul. Is that not what we would desire of ALL our students?"

The Principal smiled as the others nodded. "Indeed."

* * *

The gymnasium, an hour later . . .

"Mendō Tachiko!"

"CLASS FOUR!"

"Fujinami Ryūnosuke!"

"CLASS FOUR!"

* * *

Class 1-4, the first period after lunch . . .

"So you're REALLY a girl?"

Ryūnosuke – who was dressed in a normal boy's gakuran, the top two buttons undone to reveal the T-shirt she had on underneath – took a deep breath. "Yeah, I am. Sorry I'm talkin' an' dressin' like a guy, but Oyaji's never really liked it when I tried to act more like a chick." She then scratched the back of her head. "I'm trying to learn how to be a girl, but it's really hard, especially since I don't have real girl's clothes and all that. And until I met Tariko-san and her family, too many people always confused me for a guy even with me tellin' them I'm a chick and all that!"

She then jolted on seeing auras of indignant anger then billow from every girl in the class. "_**HEY! HEY! HEY! WHOA! CUT IT OUT, HUH?**_" she cried out as she made a warding sign with her hands. "Yeah, Oyaji's a lunkhead and all that, but he's all I got left, for cryin' out loud! Cut it out, huh?" She then spun on Ataru; she had noted that the most ominous battle auras were emerging from both Tariko and Hiromi. "Hey! Make your sisters cut it out! I don't want them arrested for murder!"

"Much that I do understand why you don't want that to happen, Ryū-chan, when it comes to Avalonians, the idea of killing child abusers happens to be burned right into their DNA," Ataru said with a shrug. "And you gotta admit, if the guy's so damned blind to not see what a cute girl you are – and he won't give you a chance to BE a girl in your soul as well as your body! – he deserves to get stomped into the ground."

"Ataru, must you condone such a wasteful exercise in the first place? I believe I taught you much better than that," a strange voice then stated.

People's heads snapped over. "Negako-san!" Shinobu gasped.

In a flash, every girl in the class was standing in front of the grandmaster. "Negako-san! You can't possibly allow this poor girl to suffer like this!" Marubeya Momoe then snapped as she pointed at Ryūnosuke. "That monster needs to be punished!"

"You're ready to protect Ataru-kun from his idiot mother! Why won't you do the same thing for poor Ryūnosuke-chan?" Gekasawa Kumiko added.

Negako sighed. "Ladies, there is a way of dealing with someone like Fujimi without the need of physical violence." She then smirked, which made almost all the people seeing this shudder in fear. "To defeat a bully – especially one who simply cannot see that he IS a bully – you must force him into a situation where he finds himself incapable of influencing the situation to match his desires."

Many of the girls blinked in confusion. "Um . . . Onē-san, that kinda went over most people's heads," Tariko warned as she gave her sister a knowing look.

"Oh! I get it!"

Eyes locked on Tsuruya Rumiko. "What, Rumiko-san?" Tachiko demanded.

A giggle. "What Negako-san means is that we need to make a situation where Ryūnosuke-chan's father simply CAN'T try to bully her as he did in the past, Tachiko-chan. She's not living in a beach café out in the middle of nowhere anymore, people! She's living HERE in the big city! And a city full of people who can be persuaded to see her as she really is!"

"AND help her become something better!" Chigaiko then stated before her jaw dropped and she gazed on Negako. "Negako-san, are you actually saying . . .?"

"The blood sample was taken and the replacement body will be prepared within the hour," the grandmaster stated. "Hiromi, Tariko, see to it that Ryūnosuke reports back to my office before the start of the second period today." And with that, she walked off.

"What does she mean by that?"

Eyes locked on a very confused Ryūnosuke. "Um, Ryūnosuke-san, don't you know anything at all about the Avalonians?" Mendō then inquired.

Blink, blink. "Who're they?"

People sighed. "Allow us to explain, Ryūnosuke-san," Hiromi began . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The concept of the **Gojūni Sanji**, which I came up with for one of the storylines I wrote in the Anime Addventure, was taken from the "The Steps to Sexual Fulfillment" that appeared in Warren Murphy's and Richard Sapir's _Destroyer_ novel series that have been published since 1971. Since the number of steps in the tantric arts practiced by the Masters of Shinanju (mistakenly Romanised as "Sinanju" in the novels) has never been set in stone but has been marked as ranging from 37 all the way to 52, I took the higher figure. If you want to see a neat fanfic depiction of a practitioner performing the Steps, read Clell65619's _Harry Potter and the Sun Source_, which is marked as one of my favourites at this website.

2) The scene concerning **Fujinami Ryūnosuke**'s arrival at Tomobiki High School parallels what was depicted in the manga story "Hello, Sailor Suit (Fetish)" (manga episode #148). The "I love the sea!" joke made by her father (whom I give the name **Fujinami Fujimi** for _The Senior Year_) is a rant he always gives, especially after being socked into low Earth orbit, usually at the business end of his daughter's fist.

3) Translation: **Sarashi** – type of breast-binding worn by samurai under their armour; **Taifun Kaze-te** – Typhoon Wind-Fist; **Chūnin** – Mid-rank ninja.

4) The matter concerning "**Nobade Shinobi**" was depicted in the manga story "Even Though I Wait for You" (manga episode #27). Ataru's first meeting with **Sakurambō Sakura** was depicted in "All of Me" (manga episode #4). **Chikamatsu Fusae** is the name I give the nurse that appeared in "A Flying Start" (manga episode #33). Given that Sakura is both a school nurse AND a Shintō shrine miko (priestess), I believe that keeping a normal nurse on staff would be prudent given the standard Shintō belief that a miko must not be around blood (or undergoing menstruation) to be seen as "pure." And **Kotatsuneko** is a regular _Yatsura_ background character; he first appeared in "Two-Story Ghost Story" (manga episode #111).


	9. First Audience With the Emperor of Tōshi

Ninety minutes later . . .

"Ryūnosuke-chan . . .?"

A pair of dark brown eyes fluttered open.

"Ryūnosuke-chan, can you hear me?"

A moan escaped the girl now lying on the army-style canvas cot that was set up along one wall of Negako's private office. "Oh, man . . . that was SO weird . . . "

"You can move now, Ryūnosuke. Sit yourself up slowly."

Hearing that voice – which, even if she had only heard it since they had first met this morning, made Ryūnosuke's blood turn to ice as a chill colder than a winter ocean wind blowing over the beach near Hamachaya surged through her – the beach café tomboy slowly sat up, turning herself around to gently allow her legs to dangle off the cot onto the floor. Looking up, she allowed her vision to focus on two dark figures before her, both of them soon acquiring familiar features as one melted into a girl in a blue winter seifuku, the other in a black martial artist's gi with a black belt wrapped around her waist. "Tariko-san . . . Negako-san . . . " she whispered.

What was wrong with her throat?

"Remain still for a moment," Negako stated as she moved to gently tap several points on the back of Ryūnosuke's neck and down her spine, which instantly allowed the constricting stiffness of her joints to fade away, making her breathe out in relief.

"Take it easy," Tariko said. "I was the same way when I got pulled out of Ataru's head and put into this body back after the turn of the New Year. We all go through this." She then gazed in mock-annoyance at Negako. "Save for multi-centenarian martial arts grandmasters programmed with a thousand years of knowledge who, on waking up for the first time, nearly turned Hokkaidō into a second Atlantis."

"Tariko . . . "

Ryūnosuke blinked as she watched Tariko stick out her tongue playfully at her sister, who didn't react to that. "She always razz you like that?" she asked, feeling a little more strength in her throat as she began to breathe easier.

"She does that out of a rather annoying desire to see me emote more frequently than I normally demonstrate to others," Negako explained.

"Which is next to never," Tariko added.

Ryūnosuke stared at the grandmaster. "So you're like that Mr. Spock character from that American television show I heard so much about."

"Indeed, though unlike Spock, I do not have the physical conflict imposed on my brain from the blending of two such diametrically-opposite humanoid species as Terran and Vulcan," Negako explained. "Granted, I am seen as both Terran and Avalonian – a 'Terran-turned-Avalonian' to borrow the phrase most often coined for those such as we – the fact that Avalonians are genetically quite similar to Terrans allows those of the latter race to become members of the former race to adjust with great ease."

The tomboy nodded. "Yeah, everyone filled me in on all the details while you were waitin' for my new body to get templated so I could use it. I heard about that Hensō chick and what she and her friends were doin' here ever since that whole Tag Race thing last summer." She then gazed at Tariko. "Is it true?"

"What?"

"That she actually STOLE the real Lum's life away from her."

Tariko sighed. "She did. Turns out that when Lum was born, a very powerful and skilled sorceress living near Ellsian space didn't get an invite to the baby shower. So she sicked a curse on the poor girl, one that would guarantee that she would never know true love. March ahead to five years ago when a friend of the family – a guy named Nassur; he's from a planet named Vos – began to get scared of the idea of his enemies targeting Lum and her friends to get at him. Ōgi – he was the boss of the Niphentaxians, the race that saw themselves as the Avalonians' 'masters' – got wind of it and offered 'android' . . . " – she made finger-quotes on saying that – " . . . replicas of Lum, Ran-chan, Benten-san and Oyuki-sama to act as body-doubles for the real girls if that sort of thing was ever needed." A smirk. "Dumbass fool didn't count on Nassur's wife Cinba and the computer at Home Base – that's an asteroid near Uru where they live – detecting the truth. But by then, it was too late."

Ryūnosuke blinked. "The curse got Lum."

"And by extension, the others. What better way to ensure Lum would never know true love than to literally make her 'disappear' and allow a replica to take her place to live her life?" Tariko then took a deep breath. "Of course, by the time Nassur and Cinba got the story about the Avalonians from a friend on Noukiios, the replicas – now living as the originals and thinking they were the originals since no one had questioned what had happened – were 'back' with their parents on their home planets. And since making nice-nice with the Niphentaxians since they were the top military power in the Galactic Federation was the number one priority of the leaders on Uru, Neptune and Fukunokami – atop the fact that since the Niphentaxians did everything they could to keep knowledge of their slaves secret from the outside galaxy – any attempt to convince Lum's dad, Benten's stepdad and Oyuki's dad of the truth . . . "

"In one ear, out the other, right?"

A nod. "Yeah. Unfortunately, Ōgi never counted on a man named Ganzo dai-Louc."

Ryūnosuke looked confused. "Who's he?"

"The Niphentaxian analogue of John Brown," Negako answered. "If you are not aware of American history in the mid-nineteenth century, he was the abolitionist from Connecticut who gladly sacrificed his life to assist in the final emancipation of African-descent slaves then living in thirteen southern states of the Union, eleven of which would bond together as the Confederate States of America and launch their so-called 'Second American Revolution.'" At Ryūnosuke's curious look, the grandmaster added, "The Civil War." After the tomboy nodded in understanding – despite her rough mode of speech, Ryūnosuke was a very intelligent person and had done quite well in school before she had come to Tomobiki – Negako carried on: "Ganzo was one of the men who discovered the bioroid factory on Phentax Twelve a century ago our time. He was the first of his kind to discover what the Avalonians could be and how their presence in Niphentaxian society could help their race evolve beyond their 'replicate any other society of interest with religious fervour' mode of behaviour. Regretfully, all most Niphentaxians saw of the Avalonians were quite handy sexual slaves."

Ryūnosuke winced; given her unique upbringing, she had a VERY good idea what sex was about even if she had never been really hit on by guys before. "Damn . . .!"

"Twenty years ago, Ganzo's efforts to obtain emancipation for the Avalonians saw him declared the 'arch-heretic' and banished from his society," Negako added. "He took a production line of un-templated bioroids – ten thousand bodies in all – and made his way to Noukiite space, where a friend of his had discovered mesonium soul-crystals bearing the living spirits of the great heroes and warriors of the initial stages of that planet's own Tri-Kingdoms period three millennia ago. Using the bioroids, those people were granted new lives, in much the same manner as how Hiromi and Tariko were granted new lives. And one of them – a girl named Kyech – would become the person who exposed what had happened to Lum and her friends to the outside galaxy."

"Just be careful in mentioning Kyech's name around Ataru," Tariko then advised with a wink. "For six weeks, it was really hot and heavy between them as she helped give Onē-san, Hiromi-chan and I lives of our own." She sighed. "Over time, Kyech got scared of the idea of Ataru being hurt because she's practically the Noukiite version of Ultraman in terms of sheer power and he's still pretty much a normal guy even with all the neat add-ons Onē-san gave him." She smirked. "He'll be attracted to you. I can't blame him; you're really beautiful, Ryū-chan." As said tomboy blushed right to her toes at that compliment, Ataru's twin added, "But he's trying to control himself and be different than what you probably heard of him from before New Year's."

"Hey, that's cool," Ryūnosuke said with a nod. "I mean, no guy's ever hit on me before, so I really wouldn't know what to do in that case." She made a face. "It'd probably creep me out now that I think about it." A sigh. "It's always been chicks who've hit on me, not guys. And with Oyaji always sayin' I was a stud . . . "

"Allow him his delusions for the time being," Negako advised. "That is one purpose of this exercise, Ryūnosuke. While some would see his actions as abusive, others would give your father sympathy for his being a widower and being forced to raise his only child and heir by his own. Which, in many regards, he has done well."

"The martial arts and all that, you mean?" Tariko asked.

"Indeed. Now, it is time to fine-tune it. Jinseiko?"

Ryūnosuke gasped as something leapt out of the shadows to form into a very pretty girl now kneeling on the floor next to Negako, her head bowed. "The uniform and the necessary undergarments have been obtained, Negako-sama," Fusegu Jinseiko reported.

"Was it difficult?" Negako asked.

"No, Negako-sama. Ryūnosuke-sama's new body is similar in scale and dimensions to Tariko-sama and Hiromi-sama, so it was quite easy to obtain the necessary sports bras that will allow Ryūnosuke-sama to dispose of that worn sarashi of hers."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"_**YOU GOT ME BRAS?**_"

A wide-eyed Jinseiko then found herself being overwhelmed by twin fountains of Ryūnosuke's tears as Tariko and Negako exchanged a knowing look . . .

* * *

Final class . . .

"Well, you can tell you're a girl . . . "

A hand slapped Perm in the back of the head, which made the tallest of the Stormtroopers wince before he gazed at the person who hit him. "You don't need to be a pig about it!" Momoe snapped as she glared at him before she smiled in amusement at Ryūnosuke, who was back in her normal gakuran, though the fact that she had breasts under her jacket and T-shirt was obvious to everyone else in the room even if said breasts were now constrained by a sports bra instead of being nearly mashed down by the sarashi she had at the start of the day. "Don't mind people like him, Ryūnosuke-chan. He's been starved for attention since Hensō was exposed for the fake she was . . . not that he was much of a ladies' man ever BEFORE that Oni came here to ruin our lives!"

"Hey!" Perm snapped.

"Hey, Ryū-chan!"

She turned as Ataru came up. "What's up?"

"You remember the dorks that wrecked your beach house?"

A dark look crossed her face. "Can't forget them!"

Ataru nodded her over to where Mifune Hideyuki was sitting, piles of magazines on his desk. "Hideyuki collects _Exotic Marital Arts Monthly_; it's the main magazine that talks about tōshi. If the idiots that totalled your place show up there, you can point them out so Hiromi can go out and have a little chat with them."

Ryūnosuke walked over. "What could that do? 'Sides, if your sis is a tōshi, what the hell's she doin' coming to this school and not goin' to Rakuyō?"

"Even if I don't truly comprehend what it is, I have no desire to allow myself to be absorbed by this so-called 'fate' that is said to rule the lives of those such as I, Ryūnosuke-san," a certain reborn second-to-last emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty then declared as she moved to lay out several magazines on Shinobu's desk; the desk's user had stood up to make room. "Here are the current pictures of tōshi from Nan'yō and Yōshū," she said as she pointed them out. "Can you look over these pictures and indicate who the miscreants were?"

Ryūnosuke blinked as she considered that, and then she picked up one of the magazines to scan through the pictures. She then scowled as she pointed. "This was the leader of the pack from Yōshū," she said as she indicated a very tall and handsome fellow. "This guy, his sister and this guy." She pointed out three other people.

Hiromi looked. "Kairyō Shijū, Kaietsu Ido, Kōso . . . " She then closed her eyes. "And one of my own kinsmen from that age," she added in a whisper.

Ataru looked over. "Hiromi . . . "

"This was once Liú Biǎo, Onii-san. Lord Jǐngshēng," Hiromi said as she pointed to the picture of the Yōshū leader. "Here, he is known as Ryūhyō Keishō. He was the governor of Jǐng when I was still alive." A shake of the head. "I can see why he would fight against the Tigers of Dōng Wú. Back in his first life, he fought many campaigns against the Sūn family, thus guaranteeing that when he died, his domain would be fought over by all of the Three Kingdoms for years afterward." A sigh. "A sad fate, one all too common in those days." She then gazed on Ryūnosuke, the pained look on her face then vanishing, replaced immediately by steely determination. "Now show us who were their opponents, Ryūnosuke-san."

The tomboy blinked, and then she nodded before turning to the magazines. A moment later, she picked out pictures. "These four," she said. "But this guy here didn't actually do much fighting," she added as she indicated a smiling man with shaggy red-brown hair that went down to his shoulders and deep brown eyes. "He was in a wheelchair; his pals brought him to the beach beside the Hamachaya from the hospital he was in so he could get fresh air. At least, that was what they told me when they came by to get some tea after Oyaji and I yelled at the sea like we always did."

People gazed at her. "You yell at the sea?" Tariko asked, clearly baffled.

"Yeah! Oyaji always hated it whenever the seas got too rough for people to come to the Hamachaya to have something to drink or eat," Ryūnosuke explained, and then she shrugged. "Nothin' ya can do there, especially not in early March." A sigh. "So we gave them the tea and they went off to be with their pal. Oyaji drags me out to start yelling at the sea again. Then this guy . . . " – she indicated a picture in the magazine depicting Nan'yō tōshi – " . . . came over and bashed Oyaji around for makin' too much noise 'cause it was disturbing their friend. And before you know it, Ryūhyō and his pals show up and start a rumble right there." A smirk as she gazed on the Nan'yō tōshi she said had been in a wheelchair. "Still, every time the jokers from Yōshū got close to this one, he was able to use some weird ki attack to beat 'em back."

"That's not surprising."

Eyes locked on Mifune Hideyuki. "What do you mean?" Ryūnosuke asked.

"The wounded guy is Teifu Tōkubō," he explained. "He's a sophomore at Nan'yō; one of their best fighters. In the Great Fighters Tournament last summer, he got into a really bad fight that left him in a coma. He's recovering, but it's been real slow; he's not able to walk or do much and he might end up repeating a year when he's well enough to go back to school. I doubt he'll be a fighter in a Tournament again."

Hiromi hummed as she gazed on the pictures. "Ryōsō, Ryohan Shikō, Josei Monkyō and Teifu Tōkubō," she read out the battle names of the Nan'yō people that had been involved in the fight that had left Ryūnosuke and her father effectively homeless. "Hideyuki-san, do you know which hospital Tōkubō-dono is convalescing in?"

He considered that for a moment, and then he nodded before reaching for another magazine. "It was written in here," he said as he flipped through the pages, and then he stopped. "Ah! Here! He's at the Chōshi Hospital. That's in Maejuku-chō."

"That's not far from Kannon station," Ryūnosuke stated before she stared wide-eyed at Hiromi. "You're not thinkin' of goin' after this guy in a HOSPITAL, are you?"

"No, but I DO wish to meet Tōkubō-dono and learn what precipitated such a fight between himself and these other fellows in the first place," Hiromi stated.

"Need help?" Tariko asked.

A shake of the head. "No, Onē-san. I best go alone on this trip."

"You sure?" Ryūnosuke wondered.

The reborn emperor smirked. "Ryūnosuke-san, you need to be in your bedroom for the remainder of this evening to allow the blood-ward ofuda Onē-sama is currently preparing for you to take full effect and make sure your father doesn't further intrude into places he should not. Worry not about me. I'll be quite fine."

The tomboy blinked, and then she nodded . . .

* * *

Chōshi Hospital, an hour later . . .

For the young man born Hodo Amanezuke, it was all darkness.

Time had effectively stopped having any meaning.

The turn of days was something he could no longer realistically note.

And while he was no longer in the coma he had been forced into during the last rounds of the Great Fighters Tournament of 2009, the fact that he was unable to see and forced to wear a neck brace as his cervical vertebrae were still in the midst of trying to heal from a bone-shattering atomic head drop was still something he couldn't ignore.

Still, it wasn't all bad.

"How are you feeling, Tōkubō-sempai?"

He tried not to smile too much on hearing that sweet voice. "It's still dark. And I'm not able to see your pretty face, Shikō-chan."

Hearing that, Sebone Noriko found her cheeks turning a very deep red as she turned to gaze once more on her schoolmate. A freshman at Nan'yō, she was a second paternal cousin to one of the "Four Divas" of the Tigers of Dōng Wú. And like Sebone Mimōko, Sebone Noriko had become quite attracted to the one man in the whole school who had been strong enough to stand up to and browbeat the school's current leader, On Michiji. An attraction that hadn't really faded from Noriko in the wake of Amanezuke's near-fatal injury seven months before in the back alleys of Kimitsu at the hands of Ki Hajime in what had been billed as a near-virtual repeat of what happened in the year 191 C.E. at Xiāngyáng, the battle where the legendary Tiger of Jiāngdōng had fallen.

A battle that nearly got repeated a week before on the beaches near Chōshi.

_Thank the Heavens that Sempai had recovered enough to drive off Ry__ū__hy__ō__ and his fools even if that poor teashop family lost their home_, the woman known to all her peers by the battle name "Ryohan Shikō" mused as she reached over to gently grasp Amanezuke's hand to hold it close to her. She shuddered as she felt his hand gently squeeze hers, which made her quake right to her toes in delight. While she knew her own cousin still had strong feelings for this man – and truthfully, Noriko couldn't blame Mimōko for feeling that way as the Hodos and the Sebones of Chiba had been very close friends for generations – the younger of the Sebone cousins now attending the Nan'yō Academy felt she would eventually claim Amanezuke for herself.

If her own fate – to die after defeating the forces of Wèi in a replay of the Battle of Dòngkǒu that originally occurred in 223 C.E. – didn't get in the way.

Thinking about that, Noriko tried not to shudder too much as she pulled Amanezuke's hand closer to her, resting it in her cleavage as she bowed her head and allowed tears to swell up in her dark blue eyes. Sensing the pain his friend was now feeling, the blind and still-paralysed Nan'yō sophomore – known to all his friends as "Teifu Tōkubō" – remained quiet and still. Times like this were common for all those who wore the Sacred Beads and found themselves under the influence of the Madness of the Sangoku. Especially the innocent ones like Sebone Noriko. Who first were exposed to the Romance believing that being a tōshi simply meant being a very good martial artist, above the rest of the riff-raff.

A week before, Noriko learned that being a tōshi meant a lot more.

As what happened to Noriko's own cousin three years before proved beyond a shadow of a doubt, both to Amanezuke . . . and to Mimōko herself.

A sniff. "Sorry . . . "

"Don't apologise," he gently chided as he turned his head towards her, giving her a "look" with his closed eyes; he kept them closed as he had been told that they now had the dull sheen often associated with the blind. "What happened a week ago was a shock to you, Shikō-chan. It's a shock to any tōshi when they're confronted by the ghosts of the past." His eyebrow arched. "Have you started having dreams?"

She blinked, and then nodded. "Scary ones . . . "

A sigh. "That's to be expected. You're starting to awaken to the power that's in your magatama. Just like Shimei-chan did a couple years ago."

"When she started wearing that eye-patch? The one Kada-sensei gave her?"

A nod. Noriko didn't know the true story behind Mimōko's disfigurement . . . and Amanezuke cared for and respected his friend enough to not speak of that in the open, even to her own blood-cousin. "Hai," he said with a sigh before he tensed on sensing something approach from the outside. _What the hell . . .?_ he wondered to himself as his ki senses – which hadn't been affected by his injury – focused on a very powerful and unique being now in the hallway outside. "Shikō-chan?"

She perked. "Hai?"

"Can I get some coffee?"

Noriko blinked, and then nodded, a delighted smile crossing her face. "H-hai!"

With that, she stepped out of the room. He remained still for a moment, and then he "looked" over with his head. "You can come in now!" he called out.

The door opened. "Forgive me for disturbing you, Tōkubō-dono."

He perked, surprised by the formal – almost classical – speech emitting from what he now suspected was a woman his age. There was the chilly tinge in her life energy which indicated the presence of a magatama which would be hanging from her left ear; how THAT tradition had started with tōshi, he had no idea. But the core of her ki seemed to burn with the power of the very earth beneath their feet. Yet while the energy burning at the core of this woman's heart seemed as hot as that which had been within the hearts of dragon-touched tōshi such as his late sensei, Mago Katahiko, it also seemed . . . soothing. As comforting as a hearth fire. Almost . . .

. . . motherly?

Who was this woman?

A tōshi, yes . . .

. . . yet as different from others of his kind as day was from night.

Was that good . . .?

"You know my name, but I don't know yours," he then noted.

The stranger smiled. "You may address me as 'Ryūkō Kyōrei,' Tōkubō-dono."

He paused as that name chimed deep in his heart. Okay, the 'family name' element in this one's battle name indicated she was of the Koro Clan, the same family that the man from Yōshū who had gladly hunted Amanezuke down to the beach near Chōshi a week ago belonged to. But that really didn't mean anything in the long term; that family had representatives scattered all across the seven prefectures of Kantō, with members of that family being both current and former students of all the Seven Battle Schools and their affiliate institutions. But the 'given name' element, much less the 'style name' element . . .?

"What school do you go to?" he then asked.

"Tomobiki High School in Tomobiki-chō, Nishitōkyō-shi," the visitor then answered. "Year One, Class Four to be exact. If you wish to know."

Silence.

"Tomobiki . . .?" he gasped, a swell of panic surging up from his heart to grasp his soul with a grip of solid steel. And it was understandable. Even before aliens had come to Earth two weeks before he was plunged into darkness thanks to the Great Fighters Tournament, that part of Metropolitan Tōkyō had always been a nexus of weirdness, just like its eastern neighbour Nerima as well as two other Tōkyō special wards, Shinjuku and Minato. That this woman was a student at the most notorious high school in all of Japan was truly shocking. And if she was going THERE . . .?

Why hadn't tōshi attending the closest of the Seven Schools – Rakuyō in the Bunkyō ward of Tōkyō, Seito in Chichibu in Saitama and Kyoshō in Ninomiya in the western part of Kanagawa – taken notice of this fighter and sought her out . . .?

* * *

Sensing the poor man's confusion, Hiromi tried not to smirk too much as she moved to take a seat beside his bed. "I am recently awoken to what I am and what that will ultimately mean for me in the long term," she admitted. "Fortunately, there are many admirers of our many peers across all of Kantō; one of them happens to be a classmate of mine. He collects issues of _Exotic Martial Arts Monthly_." As he then laughed, she sat back in her chair. "I must confess, from what I read of you before coming here, Tōkubō-dono, you pay great homage to Lord Démóu. I understand you also took martial arts training under the tutelage of the man touched by the spirit of the most noble Tiger of Jiāngdōng." As his cheeks heated on sensing the compliment that was soon to come, Hiromi made sure she didn't disappoint. "I am sure that wherever he is beyond the veil of the _Te'a_, Bundai-dono would be very proud of you."

He nodded. "You are too courteous to me." He then sighed. "Forgive me for asking you this, Ryūkō-san, but may I ask your real name?" As she gazed in surprise at him, he chuckled. "Forgive me. Since honouring our past-selves is seen as a very paramount thing to do, we normally do not address fellow tōshi by birth names."

She smiled. "I am Moroboshi Hiromi. And you?"

Another nod. "Hodo Amanezuke, Hiromi-sa- . . . " His voice then caught in his throat as his mind quickly locked in on her family name. "Wait! 'MOROBOSHI?' You wouldn't be a relation to Moroboshi Ataru, would you?" he demanded.

A chuckle. "My adopted brother to be exact, Amanezuke-san. Tell me this if I may ask you: Have you yet heard of the Avalonians? The race of alien bioroid women that Onii-san, myself and our other siblings liberated almost two weeks ago?"

His cheeks suddenly reddened. "Two volunteer nurses now working here at the hospital are Avalonians. They weren't part of the groups that were concentrated around Tomobiki; they actually were part of a separate observation group controlled by some gang called the 'Guardians.'" Sensing his guest nod in understanding, he added, "They started here just before the weekend . . . and they've been quite passionate when it comes to me. Their former masters were former residents of Phentax Twenty-one." He relaxed himself, his mind turning over this revelation and equating it to what his ki-senses had picked up about his visitor. "You used the word '_Te'a_.' I understand that's the term Avalonians use to describe the Divine Force they can sense in all things. I therefore have to assume that you yourself are an Avalonian?"

"I am."

He then blinked. "Who were you?"

Hiromi stared at him, and then she sighed. "I was Liú Hóng."

Amanezuke took that in . . . and then he felt his body chill suddenly as the well-pronounced Mandarin words his visitor just spoke now suddenly chimed in with the Japanese word she had used earlier when she had given him her battle name. "Ryūkō . . . " he breathed out as a flood of reverence surged up from deep within his heart and from deep within the magatama he still bore on his left lower earlobe.

"Reitei-sama . . . "

A sigh. "Please don't call me that."

He stopped. "It is who you are!"

A shake of the head. "It is who I WAS, Tōkubō-dono," Hiromi confessed. "And even if I have only been truly myself in lieu of being part of a mental gestalt that had existed in Onii-san's brain since he swore the Promise of Bunka Go-nen to take in the spirit of the _Saik__ō__ Jinseijutsu_ within his mind . . . " – she ignored the shocked intake of breath from him on saying that – " . . . and then found the magatama that bore MY soul – or a copy of Liú Hóng's soul; I know not which – to keep on his person as a good luck charm . . . " A shrug. "Well, I must now confess that hearing the word 'Reitei' applied to me doesn't do my stomach any favours." She shook her head. "Was I an emperor . . .?"

"To the end, many saw you as that, Re- . . . " He caught himself before bowing his head. "Forgive me, Kyōrei-sama," he then said. _Why on Earth is she making use of her _posthumous_ name? Does she really feel THAT guilty over what's happened to all of us over all of the incarnations and the generations?_ "Many did believe you possessed the Mandate of Heaven. Even if they acted to protect themselves and their positions in the court at Luòyáng, the Ten Attendants always cared for you. The Kōshi Kasshi always saw their ultimate goal as helping you understand the true ways of the Dào. Even the leaders of the Seven Schools these days look upon your memory with kindness."

"I see . . . "

He winced on sensing a flood of profound shame surge from his visitor, and then he sighed. "It is not your fault, Majesty," he whispered. "What happened to our past-selves . . . " A shake of the head. "Over the reincarnations and over the generations from the Middle Kingdom to the Land of the Morning Calm to here . . . " He shrugged. "Many of us have wondered who cursed us so . . . but it certainly wasn't you."

"Was it not my inaction . . .?"

"That was perhaps part of it," he conceded. "But it was a massive confluence of different factors that turned the Heavens away from our land at that time, then condemned the souls of all our past selves to the Sacred Beads we all bear now. You, the rivalries at the court, the various dragons arising the land around us, the unrest of the peasantry that unleashed the Yellow Turbans, the rebellion of the tribes in the commanderies . . . " Amanezuke sighed. "It all contributed to the fall of the Hàn and the rise of Wèi, Shǔ and Wú. As to how our past-selves' souls were entrapped in the magatama . . . " A shake of the head. "No one knows. And I fear we'll never know." He "gazed" at her. "I doubt even the Black Death could answer that question."

Hiromi blinked, and then she sighed. "No, Onē-sama cannot."

"So you are both Avalonians."

A nod. "Aye. And in fulfilling the Sacred Promise, Onii-sama's own soul was sundered in half. I possess another sister named Tariko." She then smiled. "A true family for Onii-san in the wake of his being nearly abandoned by his parents."

He breathed out. "I remember seeing that after he tagged the Oni's horns and she declared they were married. What will you do about them?"

"They are being warned to change or be humiliated in a way that would make death seem benign in the long term," she stated, which made him chuckle. She then took a deep breath. "How long will you be forced to remain here to mend?" she asked.

"Well, I woke up a month ago. The feeling in the body's coming back, but the spine will take a while to fully heal," he admitted. "If it wasn't for Shimei-chan butting in when she did, Kōso would have killed me for sure."

She perked, and then hummed. "'Shimei' . . .?" she asked before perking as it hit her. "Ah, Lord Zǐmíng! It is good that such a worthy lives in this time."

"I would definitely agree to that," he admitted. "Look on the nightstand."

She looked, and then walked over to gaze on the picture there. "When?"

"About two years ago," he admitted. "She's more prettier now."

A smirk. "I compliment your good taste, sir."

He jolted, and then chuckled. "Well, I doubt it'll go far if I get myself back together again and go back to school. Saji there is interested in her."

She looked at the picture again. Amanezuke with two other people riding on a motorcycle. The raven-haired woman with the eye-patch over the left eye was clearly the reborn Lǚ Méng, known among tōshi these days as "Ryomō Shimei." And the fellow between them . . .? "That is Genpō-dono? Handsome fellow, I must confess."

"He's alright. Laid back most of the time, but he can fight with the best of them when the chips are down. He showed it well a year ago in the Great Fighters Tournament." He then took a deep breath before a flash of confusion crossed his face. "Damn . . . "

"What ails you?"

He chuckled. "I never felt that way before."

"Felt like what?"

"Actually sitting back and _thinking_ about how I came to be like I am today," Amanezuke admitted as he "looked" at her. "Most tōshi never sit back and really think about what makes them what they are. What happened eighteen centuries ago always factored into it, but it didn't really weigh on the mind." He relaxed himself on the bed. "Not like it just did now when I thought of who I was back then."

"What does drive those such as we?" Hiromi wondered. "Do they not think of normal things? Dating? Studying for the Centre Test? A university they might wish to attend? A future career past the day they graduate from university?"

A sigh. "Few of us ever think we'll live to see those days."

Silence fell as that statement seemed to sink on the reborn emperor's shoulders, and then she blinked before a smile crossed her face. She then turned to kiss her host on the cheek, which made him yelp in shock. "You have my thanks, Amanezuke-san."

He seemed to freeze for a moment as she turned to leave. "Hiromi-sama . . .?"

She paused at the doorway. "One small thing I ask."

He jolted to attention. "Of c-c-course!"

A sigh. "A week ago, your friends battled my reborn kinsman Ryūhyō Keishō and three friends from Yōshū on the beach south of the city near a café. Said café was destroyed, effectively denying a humble fisherman and his beautiful daughter of their only home and thus forcing them to migrate to Tomobiki to take up residence within the school building itself where I now attend." She gazed at him. "Tōkubō-dono, I would consider it a personal favour if you could find some way to see to it that family receives the proper reparations for being driven out of their home in such a fashion."

He gaped in shock on hearing that – when he had asked about the Fujinami family, he had been told by his friends that the damage to the Hamachaya had been light – and then he nodded. "Your wish is my command, My Emperor. It will be done."

A nod. "My thanks. Be well, my friend."

With that, she headed out. A half-moment later, the door opened to reveal Sebone Noriko. "Sempai, who was that girl who was here now . . .?"

She then gasped on noting a faint aura of anger emitting from the wounded sophomore. Before she could gurgle out a question, he then seemed to focus on her.

"Shikō-chan . . . there is something we need to talk about."

Noriko gulped . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home, minutes later . . .

"Are you okay?"

The others seated around the living room table all were staring wide-eyed at a wet-cheeked Hiromi as she moved to head to her bedroom. "I am well," she said. "I wish not to be disturbed." And with that, she turned to head off.

Kinshō blinked, and then she spun on Ataru. "What on Earth did . . .?"

"_**SEISHIN R**__**Ē**__**Z**__**Ā**__** K**__**Ō**__**SEN!**_"

A bolt of blood-red ki seemingly as hot as molten iron blasted forth to slam into Kinshō's face, making her scream out as she was propelled into a wall from the burning impact of the blow! Muchi – busy reading the evening edition of the _Yomiuri_ – didn't react even if the paper seemed to smoke from the high heat content in the air nearby. As Hiromi walked off, muttering vile oaths in Japanese, Mandarin, Korean, Noukiite and Sagussan as she called into question her own mother's legitimacy to be worthy of life and family, Ataru and Tariko watched her go before exchanging knowing looks.

"That . . . she had coming to her," the former stated.

"Yeah, too bad. Pass the soy sauce, will you?"

"Hai!"

As Mizunokōji Asuka and Kagura Nako exchanged confused looks, they didn't take note of the amused smile crossing Negako's face as she ate her rice . . .

* * *

Later . . .

"It is very depressing, is it not?"

Hiromi blinked on hearing that voice, and then she sighed before reaching up to wipe away the tears from her eyes. "It was the most awful thing I've ever sensed, Onē-sama," she hissed out as she stared wide-eyed at Negako. "He acted like a normal boy, yet he knows deep in his heart – and ACCEPTS that, too! – that the chances are very good that he may never live to see himself graduate from high school next year!" She pointed off to the east. "To Amanezuke-san . . . this is NORMAL!"

"Yes, to almost ALL of them, such a life IS normal," the grandmaster said as she sat down on the unrolled futon in the middle of her sister's bedroom. Ataru and Tariko – who had also come to this impromptu meeting – were standing by the open doorway. "And because scant few people wish to have anything to do with tōshi whatsoever, there is simply no impetus for someone to go find some way to free them of the 'fate of the Sacred Beads.' To quote their own title for what they believe dominates their lives so."

"You might want to explain that to Asuka-chan and Nako-chan," Tariko warned. "They're both a little scared of you right now. Yeah, Baka Kā-san was being her normal idiot self, but seeing you burn her down with the Psychic Laser Beam right at the dinner table when they were having supper could upset next to anyone."

Hiromi sighed. "I will apologise to them later."

"What about your mother?"

The reborn emperor tensed on hearing that voice, and then she glared at Muchi, who had come up to stand behind Ataru and Tariko. "Well, maybe when your wife decides to start being a true mother, I might consider that. Until then, she'll be reprimanded every time she steps out of line, Otō-san. If she cannot accept it, too bad."

Muchi tensed. "Look, Hiromi . . . "

"_You be silent, Ot__ō__-san!_" Hiromi snapped, putting a little ki into her voice to make him freeze in place. Ataru and Tariko were quick to sense the fear that had just lurched up from deep within his heart; the trick their sister was using now was the same type of manoeuvre their late grandmother Nagaiwakai had used to keep her children in line when they were all living together up on Rishiri-tō (Negako had taught her how to do it). "I cannot believe that you are still praying and hoping that things will return to what you so desperately desire to be 'normal' even after all we have gone through since the day Hensō-san blasted her way into our lives. Wake up and smell the jasmine finally, you coward! Fate has ultimately decreed that such normalcy is not meant for any of us!"

He shuddered. "Look! You can't start . . .!"

"_**SILENCE!**_"

THAT shout blasted Muchi into the wall beside the linen closet underneath the stairs. "That is ENOUGH out of you!" Hiromi snarled as she rose to her feet and stormed into the hallway to glare intently at him. "Were he not such a gentleman, Onii-san would have gladly slit both your throat and the throat of that BEAST you married on MANY occasions when Hensō-san was living here!" As Muchi turned sheet-white on hearing what his own son would had gladly done to him had his own morals not held back his hand, the reborn emperor then leaned closer to him. "How DARE you attempt to preach to us as to what is right and proper?" she hissed. "You ceased to have ANY rights to do so the day you decided that because Onii-san was not Kaeru, you would gladly abuse him to your hearts' content! Not to mention block him from making contact with any relative who might have noted what you were doing to him! Feh! 'Normal?'" She turned away. "You and your wife are the most ABNORMAL people living in this city!"

As Muchi sank to his knees, Hiromi then stared at Ataru and Tariko. "Onii-san, Onē-san, I do believe we need to seek out new lodgings," she then declared. "Much that I will miss all the new friends I've made since we came back, the fact that we actually hoped these two MONSTERS we must think of as our GENETIC parents refuse to stop playing the idiot blame game they have with our lives since Kaeru died is making living here quite intolerable to me. With your agreement, I'll ask Onē-sama to go find us a new place to live."

"There is that place in Hinata," Ataru mused.

They ignored the shocked gasp from upstairs; all three of them could sense that Kinshō was at the landing on the top floor listening in. "You mean the one Urashima Keitarō's the kanrinin of? The one with those awesome hot springs?" Tariko asked.

"The same," Hiromi stated. "And since Hinata is on the west side of Yokosuka, when the Japanese Self-Defence Forces commission _Yamato_ at last, her crew will no doubt be based there. Most likely, they'll ask me to establish my own headquarters there."

"It might provoke a fight between the tōshi once people wake up to your being down there," Tariko warned. "Kanagawa is Kyoshō territory. I know you happen to like the current Sōsō Mōtoku and Shiba'i Chūtatsu, but if other schools think you're backin' them up . . . "

"Then those who wish to express their anger at such a 'disruption' in the 'balance of power' will be directed here, Onē-san," Hiromi stated. "Since tōshi are known to become quite insane when the battle madness takes over them, should any of the worthies of the Sānguó come to express their extreme displeasure on the two fools living here, I doubt nothing will stop them from learning the Final Mystery of the _Te'a_." As another pair of horrified gasps echoed from behind her and upstairs, the reborn emperor then shrugged. "I doubt those who would launch such an attack would be prosecuted to the full extent of the law; the ones that perform such a deed – if they are caught – would be seen as criminally insane. After the necessary period of psychological treatment, they'll be let go and allowed to live their lives."

Twin _thunks!_ of people fainting made all three of them turn to see Muchi passed out on the floor nearby. "So . . . do we do it?" Tariko then asked, winking.

"We best prepare for it," Hiromi mused.

"This weekend?" Ataru wondered.

"If nothing gets in the way, I would deem it an agreeable time."

Inside the bedroom, Negako was trying not to grin too much . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Ryūnosuke's obsession with getting a bra was demonstrated in the manga storyline "Get Something On Your Chest" (manga episodes #184-185). Naturally, that Negako had arranged to get bras for Ryūnosuke – which is a big switch from what happened in canon, where Ataru would often interfere in Ryūnosuke's quest to become more feminine even if he also chased her like he did other pretty girls – would do much to endear Negako to Ryūnosuke.

2) For those who haven't read _Phoenix From the Ashes_ just yet, the whole story concerning Lum and Hensō (not to mention Benten and Kamen, Ran and Damasu and Oyuki and Mienai) is a twist on events that were depicted in the third _Yatsura_ movie, _Remember My Love_. Cinba, of course, is Nassur's wife; in _The Senior Year_, she was deceased but was first mentioned in the story "Return of Memory." Home Base is an asteroid in space close to Uru, near Sakusei Station (the space station depicted in the sixth movie, _Always My Darling_; the name was first used in the _TSY_ story "Tag Race Mark Three").

3) Introducing the Yōshū and Nan'yō tōshi mentioned here (read "battle name [birth name] - original name [style name if such is known]"):

**_Ryūhyō Keishō (Koro Uwagi) – Liú Biǎo (Jǐngshēng)_**  
Male, third-year student at Yōshū. In his first life (as Hiromi explained), was the governor of Jǐng. In this life, leads his own faction at school. Sees his spiritual connection to the Imperial Hàn as reason enough to act totally independent of his school's leader. Quite tall for his age, just like his first incarnation, where he was said to stand over 1.86 metres tall.

**_Kairyō Shijū (Koi Makoto) – Kuǎi Liáng (Zǐróu)_**  
Male, second-year student at Yōshū. Uwagi's chief strategist; in his first life, he was the one who came up with the plan that permanently dealt with Sūn Jiān (reincarnated in this life as Mago Tsueko's father, Mago Katahiko) at the Battle of Xiāngyáng in 191 C.E.

**_Kaietsu Ido (Koi Katsumi) – Kuǎi Yuè (Yìdù)_**  
Female, second-year student at Yōshū, fraternal twin sister to Makoto. Another of Uwagi's advisors; in her first life, after the death of Liú Biǎo, Kuǎi Yuè would become the chief advisor to his son Liú Cóng (these days known as Ryūsō, born as Koro Misu), who would eventually surrender Jǐng Province to Cáo Cāo in 208 C.E.. It is said that Cáo would have preferred just the services of Kuǎi in lieu of getting all of Jǐng.

**_Kōso (Ki Hajime) – Huáng Zǔ_**  
Male, second-year student at Yōshū. In his first life, it was Huáng Zǔ's arrow that brought down the Tiger of Jiāngdōng himself. In this life, due to Mago Katahiko (Sonken Bundai) having died some years ago, Hajime is quite frustrated, wondering where his fate will take him. That made him re-forge a working alliance with Koro Uwagi.

**_Ryōsō (Noru Toruji) – Líng Cāo_**  
Male, third-year student at Nan'yō. Like Amanezuke, Toruji is a former student of Mago Katahiko's; he honours the memory of the late reincarnation of the Tiger of Jiāngdōng very much. Though not one of the Four Divas of the school, he is an A-rank fighter and is one of the most respected senior students there.

**_Ryohan Shikō (Sebone Noriko) – Lǚ Fàn (Zǐhéng)_**  
Female, first-year student at Nan'yō. Second cousin to Sebone Mimōko (Ryomō Shimei) and distant cousin to Sebone Shikuko (Ryofu Hōsen). In their first lives, both Noriko's and Mimōko's past-selves were from the Rǔnán Commandery (modern-day Rǔnán County in Zhùmǎdiàn City, Hénán Province). In this life, both girls are very close, though Noriko is not privy to her cousin's darkest secret.

_**Teifu Tōkubō (Hodo Amanezuke) – Chéng Pǔ (Démóu)**_  
Male, second-year student at Nan'yō. One of the better fighters at the school until he was crippled in the previous summer's Great Fighters Tournament (which I changed from the _Ikkitōsen_ manga and anime; there, he was wounded by Kazaru Tagurō [Bunshū] and would have died hadn't Sebone Mimoko interfered). He recently awoke from his coma.

**_Josei Monkyō (Omomuro Sakan) – Xú Shèng (Wénxiǎng)_**  
Male, third-year student at Nan'yō. In his first life, Sakan was an avowed enemy of the family of Ki Hajime's past-self; the two are always ready to fight each other at any provocation.

4) Translations: **Ofuda** - "Great Note," a paper talisman charged with magic or ki; **Seishin Rēzā Kōsen** – Psychic Laser Beam (in essence, a hot ki blast focused as a cutting beam); **Kanrinin** – manager of an apartment building.

5) How the Moroboshi siblings know Urashima Keitarō from _Love Hina_ is revealed in the _Phoenix From the Ashes_ side-story _Avalonians at Hinata-sō_.


	10. The Dragonspeaker Comes To Tomobiki

Tomobiki High School, Tuesday 9 March, early morning . . .

"Osu . . . "

"_**Ry**__**ū**__**- . . . no- . . . suke . . .!**_"

Ryūnosuke stopped on hearing that pained voice, and then looked over . . .

. . . before crying out in shock on seeing a hideously burnt figure looming over her, eyes watery with pained tears. "Damn it, Oyaji!" she snarled as she drop-kicked him into the ceiling before marching over to sit down at their small living room table. "What the hell were you doin' last night anyway? Playin' with fireworks? Aho!" she demanded before picking up a bowl of rice, and then she grabbed a ladle and scooped up some boiled fish tōfu stew to cover her rice with it before she began to eat . . .

. . . and then she stopped as her taste buds picked up a rather noticeably sour flavour in the stew. _Why, that no-good, brain-dead idiot . . .!_ she thundered to herself as she put the bowl down, then stood up and walked into her bedroom, closing the door behind her. At that moment, Mr. Fujinami dropped down from the hole his "son" had made him create in the ceiling, and then he lunged over at the door . . .

. . . only to scream out in wild pain as burning ki with the force of THOUSANDS of volts of electricity ripped through his body once more thanks to two hidden ofuda on the inside of the door. As such were both powered by ki streaming from the mana node under the Tarōzakura hill at the south end of the Mendō estate – thus linking directly into one of the major ley lines crossing underneath Tomobiki itself – and were tied directly into Ryūnosuke's blood thanks to Negako, there was simply no way for the older man to get past that door into the tomboy's room, even if he WAS Ryūnosuke's father!

After a moment, he collapsed to the floor as the door opened again, revealing Ryūnosuke in her gakuran uniform with her breasts quite apparent under her jacket and undershirt, her school bag in hand. "Quit tryin' to go through my things, Oyaji!" she said as she slammed her foot right into her father's skull, which drove his face down into the floorboards with a very audible _crack!_ "Nice try with the tōfu, by the way. The poison stands out like a damned lump of coal in snow! I'm gonna have breakfast over at the Moroboshi place until you smarten up finally! Dumbass!"

And with that, she walked off, closing the door behind her as the door to her bedroom closed automatically. A pained moan escaped him, "Ungrateful boy . . .!"

A second later, the door opened and a rugby ball whizzed in to smash him in the back of the head. "_**I'M A CHICK, YA BLIND MORON!**_" Ryūnosuke snapped.

Mr. Fujinami passed out as the door closed again . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi home, fifteen minutes later . . .

"Itadakimasu . . . "

With that, Ryūnosuke smiled as she picked up the bowl of rice and began to eat. It was flavoured with soft strips of marinated pulgogi from Korea; due to what had happened to Kinshō the previous night, Negako had prepared breakfast. Much to the tomboy's total surprise given how cold the ninjutsu grandmaster normally acted with others, the food was great. "Eat slow, Ryūnosuke," Negako instructed as she gazed on the younger woman out of the corner of her eye. "Remember that your body is still adjusting to being active after several months in storage after initial creation. Give your digestive system a chance to become used to assimilating the food you take in."

"Hai!"

Kinshō, who now had a bandaged face thanks to what Hiromi had done to her the previous evening, turned to glare at Ataru. "Who on Earth is this person?"

He ignored her as he continued to eat his rice, which made her jolt in surprise, and then she shuddered. "Ataru! Answer the question, you stupid boy! Who . . .?"

_KK-KRACK!_ "Quiet! We have guests in the house and I want a peaceful breakfast, you loud-mouthed idiot!" Tariko snapped as she glared at a now-dazed Kinshō, who had been smashed down by a back-hand fist to the jaw to shut her up. "You actually WANT all the people in the city to find out how much of a monster you are?"

"Yeah, let them complain about the REAL monsters in this house for once," Ataru added, which made Muchi – once again hiding behind the pages of the morning _Mainichi Shimbun_ – and the slowly-recovering Kinshō wince. "Sorry about the floor-show, Ryū-chan, but Baka Kā-san doesn't like anything that upsets her rose-coloured view on the world. Not to mention the fact that since I'm NOT my dead twin brother – and since Onē-san, Tariko and Hiromi all came from MY subconscious mind – that she can verbally abuse me to her heart's content." As his mother nearly choked on hearing him say THAT in front of a stranger – not to mention Asuka and Nako, who were both keeping quiet as they enjoyed their breakfast – he added, "Of course, if she keeps it up, she'll just grow old and die alone, just like she's wished for 2,216 times since I was six."

"_**WHAT?**_" Kinshō shrieked out. "_**I NEVER SAID THAT!**_"

"No, but you DID say 'I wish I never had you' – or words to similar effect – concerning Onii-san, who was your ONLY SURVIVING CHILD!" Hiromi then stated as she glared intently at her mother, which made Kinshō wince. "_Ipso facto_ – to borrow the phrase from our Roman friends – by wishing that you never had Onii-san, you wish to grow old and die alone, WITHOUT any sort of filial support from descendants, as you these days clearly are getting past the age to have any more children."

Tariko hummed. "Does menopause come THIS early in life, Onē-san?"

Kinshō gargled on hearing THAT word. "No, but given how much useless energy she expends on trying to influence things she simply cannot, Kinshō will no doubt miscarry any future children she may bear," Negako explained in her normal toneless voice.

That made the older woman pass out on the floor. "Don't you think you're being a little harsh on her?" Nako asked as she gazed on the reborn emperor of the Latter Hàn. "Yes, saying something like that to your brother is really cruel – and if it's been THAT many times, it must happen almost _**every day!**_ – but she's still your mother!"

Kinshō perked on hearing that statement. "I may not know what havin' a mom's all about, Nako, but I can tell you plenty that listenin' to THAT sort of crap sure AIN'T what a mom should do with her son. 'Specially if her son ain't responsible for whatever weird stuff happens here," Ryūnosuke noted, which made Ataru's mother turn pale. "Cripes, if MY old lady was like that, I wouldn't want nothin' to do with her!"

Another gargled sound escaped the older woman. "I have to agree," Asuka said as she coolly stared at her hosts' mother. "My mother was stern when she was raising me, but she acted in my best interest so that I could master my powers as she believed I should. She asking Negako-sama to help me better adjust to society away from the convent and the mansion is part of that." She then gazed at Ataru. "Did she actually try to SELL YOU OFF to this Hensō monster just to get a better life for herself?"

"She did," he answered, which made both Kinshō and Muchi wince. "Which really struck me as odd when I finally understood how wealthy our family really is. Nothing like what your family or the Mendō family has, Asuka-chan, but it was possible for both Otō-san and Okā-san to continue going to university and get graduate university degrees for themselves – with the resulting better jobs that those degrees would have allowed them to have – even after having both Kaeru and I right out of their sophomore year."

"Why didn't they do it?" Ryūnosuke asked.

A shrug. "Don't know. Truthfully, I don't care either. What they decide to do with themselves doesn't bother me since they've made it clear that they don't love me at all." As Kinshō and Muchi winced once more on hearing that statement from their only son, Ataru took a deep breath. "After all, according to Onē-san, my late grandmother was more than willing to help out. So was Otō-san's older brother, my uncle Komeru." As Kinshō then began to make gagging noises on hearing of THEM, Ataru shrugged. "They didn't ask them for support, but it was given. Yet despite all the complaints they've made about expenses over the years, ALL the monetary gifts that WERE sent to them to help out from Obā-san and Oji-san were ALL sent back . . . and unopened at that!" Another shrug before he moved to refill his rice bowl. "Ultimately, it's a miracle in and of itself that they were able to get enough money to get this house even if they were forced to pay the usual hundred-year mortgage on it."

Negako lightly smiled. "Komeru asked a favour of the agent that sold them the house to give them leeway when it came to repaying the mortgage."

Silence.

Muchi lowered the paper, his face white with shock. "Aniki did WHAT?"

Negako stared at him. "Komeru understood you in a way not even Nagaiwakai could equal, Muchi. He knew how much of a struggle it was for you and Kinshō to make good lives for yourselves and raise Ataru at the same time without assistance from your family, much less Kinshō's. He arranged for the mortgage to be paid off through a special fund should you have fallen behind in your payments, plus arranged for the special reconstruction fund you could use that dealt with times the house was badly damaged, such as the incident that Kinshō provoked with Mendō Haruka and Redet Chim."

More silence.

"Aniki . . . "

"He's your bro'. He was lookin' out for you."

Muchi looked up to note that Ryūnosuke was gazing directly at him, and then he sighed. "I'm going to work," he then said before standing up and heading out.

The others watched him go . . .

* * *

Minutes later . . .

"Keppeki Girl's Junior High School?"

"Yes," Negako said as she walked down the street towards what appeared to be a walled fortress in the Western model located in the Tanashi section of Nishitōkyō, which was south of Tomobiki itself. She had effortlessly carried both Nako and Asuka under her arms to this part of the newly-united city thanks to hopping along several telephone poles . . . which had impressed Ryūnosuke so much when she had seen the grandmaster take off with her charges than she immediately asked Hiromi and Tariko if she could learn how to do that. "It is a private school catering to more wealthy families such as Asuka's, Nako. It possesses a very strict anti-male policy, which should ensure that any bouts of androphobia Asuka might suffer which could arise from her being thrust so suddenly into normal society will be averted. Anyhow, the main gate is there."

Nako looked, and then she shuddered. "It's scary . . . "

"It's meant to be that way," Negako explained as they stepped onto a draw bridge over a deep moat just past the thirty-metre tall wall that surrounded the rather spacious campus. "Do be careful of the crocodiles that are within the moat."

Nako gasped. "'_**CROCODILES?**_'"

Negako stopped, and then she turned to gaze into the pond. A moment later, she then hummed. "I was mistaken." As Nako breathed out in relief, the grandmaster then stated, "They are North American alligators, not crocodiles. This way."

Nako turned sheet-white on hearing that, and then she passed out in Asuka's arms. Without hesitation, the younger Mizunokōji picked up the unconscious would-be onmyōji priestess and moved to follow Negako down the front path to the school, passing by a fenced-in run filled with a small pack of Dobermans, all quite healthy and playful with the girls inside the property even if several of their number always kept their eyes and other senses turned towards the wall protecting them from the outside world. "Negako-sama, don't you think using alligators to defend a school is excessive?"

"You have not been in normal society in Kantō when a Great Fighters Tournament occurs during summer vacation, Asuka," Negako warned. "Hiromi is quite unique as tōshi come, so you will not fully understand how harsh those like she can be. When a Great Fighters Tournament occurs, rogue tōshi who lose their bouts often take out their frustrations on students attending so-called 'neutral' schools. Do not believe your strength will protect you in such an instance, Asuka. I have shown you how easy it is to defeat such strength with just the right shiatsu strike on your body."

Asuka nodded; going through THAT had frightened her though it had taught her that superhuman strength alone was something she should always depend on. She then perked on sensing many eyes fall on her, all from girls her age who were dressed in the standard Keppeki raven-black seifuku. Noting many of them were playing soccer or dodge ball, she then smiled as she felt herself relax. This didn't seem such a scary place.

"Ah, Negako-sama! There you are!"

"Greetings, Asuka."

Asuka perked. "Um, Negako-sama, I'm right here!"

Negako gazed over as a stately woman in flowing black robes came up to them. "I am aware of that, Asuka. This is Tomohotoke Asuka, the headmistress of Keppeki," she said as she indicated the stern-looking matriarch of this place, whom had the same sort of calm, serene bearing one would imagine the Buddha himself possessing.

A polite bow from the older woman, which was immediately returned by the young heiress of the Mizunokōji Clan. "Welcome to Keppeki Girl's Junior High School, Asuka-san." She then gazed with concern – though it was hard for Asuka to tell given how stern her face looked – at the unconscious woman in her arms. "Er . . .?"

"Nako was overwhelmed on learning of the alligators," Negako stated.

"Ah!" the Headmistress then breathed out before beckoning them inside. "Come, my office is this way. Both Mrs. Mizunokōji and Mrs. Kasuga are here already."

They headed inside . . .

* * *

Meanwhile, in a mansion near a familiar shrine in Yokosuka . . .

"Nako went WHERE?"

Sumeragi Tenkai tried not to sigh too much as he found himself staring at his beloved pride and joy. "She was transferred this morning to Keppeki Girl's Junior High School in Nishitōkyō, Uruka," he explained, and then he winced again on seeing his beautiful daughter's chestnut eyes start to mist over. "Now, Uruka, I'm as much saddened by this as you are! But Nako's mother insisted that she be given a chance to discover what powers she might have inherited from her ancestors. She had every right to ask Moroboshi Negako to help teach her in that given that her own father . . . "

"_**MOROBOSHI NEGAKO?**_" Uruka then shrieked out.

The patriarch of the Sumeragi Clan of Kanagawa winced on hearing that shout, and then he sighed. "Yes! She and her family came by the shrine on Sunday to inform the kami of those who had sworn the Promise of Bunka Go-nen before Ataru-kun that . . . "

"_**MOROBOSHI ATARU?**_"

He winced yet again. "Now, Uruka, please! Ataru-kun's not . . . "

"_**NO!**_"

And with that, Uruka was running out of the room. Seeing that, a deathly pallor fell over the older man's face as he slumped to his knees. "Uruka . . .!"

* * *

Keppeki Girl's Junior High School . . .

"Um . . . Negako-san?"

Negako blinked, and then she hummed. "Oh, dear . . . "

"Is there something the matter?" Headmistress Tomohotoke asked.

The grandmaster sighed. "There may be a bit of a problem in the future with Nako's lodgings at my family home, Asuka," she stated as she calmly gazed on their host. The Mizunokōji women were seated to her left, with the Kasuga women to her right. "Nako, are you aware that Sumeragi Uruka is very much in love with you?"

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Ū-chan . . . m-m-ME?"

And over she went! "Oh, dear," Kasuga Misaki breathed out.

"Asuka!"

Asuka perked before she gazed on her mother. "What is it, Okā-sama?"

"You will NOT engage in THAT behaviour while you are away from home!"

A confused blink. "What behaviour?"

"Actually being in LOVE with a GIRL!"

"Asuka, pay Saeko no mind. I will explain it later."

Asuka turned and nodded. "Hai, Negako-sama!"

Instantly, a ki-charged image of a woman's head then billowed in the air over the coffee table to loom over Negako. "_**WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? I FORBID . . .!**_"

"**Saeko.**"

That ice-cold voice made _everyone_ freeze!

"**Do you wish to be PERMANENTLY rendered WEAK?**"

As fast as the image appeared, it then disappeared as Mizunokōji Saeko quickly tried to make herself as small as possible. "I'm sorry . . . " she eeped.

"Do not question my training methods again," Negako coldly advised.

As Nako and Asuka blinked in confusion, both Misaki and Principal Tomohotoke coughed to hide the urge to laugh out loud at what they had seen. "Well, I suppose I should speak to Tenkai-kun about that," Nako's mother then stated. "Much that I've always been happy to have Uruka-chan come visit the shrine to be with Nako, Nako herself has vowed that she will bestow her first kiss on only one person."

"Who's that?" the headmistress asked, clearly curious about such a vow.

"Why, Ayanokōji Kurumi-chan, of course."

"Kurumi-chan . . . "

Everyone then looked . . .

. . . to see Kagura Nako looking as if she was high on some sort of drug as hearts seemed to flutter all over her. "Be calm, Nako," Negako then stated before sipping her tea. "As soon as the necessary preliminary research is done concerning adopting the power of the Angel Heart into an Avalonian bioroid body, Kurumi will be woken within a fortnight. As will all her sisters as well. Be calm."

"Oh, my!" Headmistress Tomohotoke gasped. "She has a crush on a STEEL ANGEL?"

"Well, when Kurumi-chan and her sisters all decided to deactivate themselves because of their sensing the coming of the Greater East Asia War, Negako-sama and Raeburn-shōsa placed her, her sisters Saki and Karinka, and Tōgō Aoi-chan in a storage room down in an old bomb shelter under the shrine grounds," Misaki explained. "Nako would have never learned a thing about it until she discovered one of Professor Ayanokōji's manuals in the shrine library, then began reading it. Before I could stop her, she went into the shelter and found Kurumi-chan, Saki-chan, Karinka-chan and Aoi-chan." A sigh. "Thank the Heavens that the shielding system Raeburn-shōsa put around them was strong enough to keep Nako from becoming Kurumi-chan's new mistress."

A delighted laugh as Nako blushed. "Oh, my!" the headmistress said as she nodded in approval, and then she gazed on Negako. "Given what I've heard about these Avalonians that you helped rescue, Negako-sama, I would assume that you will have them help you aide Kurumi-san and the others into becoming truly human?"

"Especially Kaga-san," Nako hissed out.

Negako sighed. "Nako . . . "

* * *

_Nachikats__ū__ra Onsen (120 kilometres south-southeast of __Ō__saka), eighty years before . . ._

_ "Kirei . . . "_

_ "What do you find so beautiful?"_

_ Shichinohe Kaga blinked on hearing that voice – when the entity whom Ayanok__ō__ji Kurumi had christened "Moroboshi Negako" was alone with one of the Steel Angels, s/he did not speak with the hollow yet booming dirge-like voice that would send chills down the backs of even the most brave soldier – and then she turned to gaze on the pale-skinned middle-aged man seated at the other end of the outdoor hot spring overlooking the small peninsula jutting out into the Pacific Ocean. And while Negako was often quite afraid to be close to such a vast body of water – Kaga knew of what had happened on the night 122 years before when the _Saikō Jinseijutsu_ became truly alive __–__ s/he didn't seem to mind it when s/he was taking in the warmth of the mineral waters that flowed underground in this lovely place south of the Kii Mountains._

And with me_, the raven-haired, brown-eyed, tomboyish magical combat gynoid then mused with a shy smile that normally was alien to her before she gently drifted back to allow herself to come up against her current companion's side._

_ "Everything," she then confessed. "This beautiful evening, the whales out in the ocean playing around as they seek to mate, the wonderful weather, the warmth of the water in the onsen . . . and you with me." She turned to gaze on the possessed ninja seated beside her. "If only this was your _true_ body and not a borrowed one."_

_ A sigh. "Kaga, I refuse to allow myself to become a Steel Angel."_

_ "Why not?" Kaga wondered. "You are more like us than the humans we all serve. It's only logical that you embrace a form that will no longer restrict you when it comes to living your life. You know you have to allow your host to regain control of his body every once in a while to prevent him from slipping into a permanent coma."_

_ "True," the possessed ninjutsu-ka – her current host was Moroboshi Ryūbi's father Moroboshi Tsugaru __–__ mused as s/he stared at his/her current companion. "But there are the downsides to what you are, Kaga. Yes, Hakushi and his co-workers have confirmed that a body could be created for me that will allow me to use my powers and capabilities to their fullest extent. But my host's family will not let me go _that_ easily. I am far too valuable to them to allow me to run free even if those who do become my hosts such as Tsugaru have been made to fully understand what I am and what I desire. The loyalty programming built into your bodies also disturbs me as well. I desire to be free and I will _not_ become a slave." A sigh. "And there is much more. My creator is sensing something very wrong happening in Japan now. And he has become tired. I fear that Deannette will be his final student before he allows himself to slip out of this life."_

_ Silence._

_ "But . . . Master Hosan is _immortal_, Negako!" Kaga gasped, stunned to hear something like __**that**__ from Negako. "He _can't_ die! Not even with his head chopped off like all those other immortals can die! It's simply impossible! _**He can't die!**_"_

_ "Kaga, _all_ beings that are born or are created in this existence _can _die under the right circumstances," Negako warned her. "My creator is no different even if he has the black crystals in his blood that have frozen his aging process for the last five millennia. And he feels like a normal human being despite his immortality. He has served the Chrysanthemum Throne for well over a millennia. He now is sensing the growing militarist movement in this country as those who would have Japan 'catch up' to the nations of Europe and the United States of America strive to do everything to emulate those lands, including seizing other lands as they did with Korea and Taiwan during Emperor Mutsuhito's reign." A sigh. "I cannot blame him for feeling that way. Thanks to its isolation during the Tokugawa era, Japan was not able to properly develop as other societies did, especially with the advance of the Industrial Revolution over a century ago in Europe. My creator is used to that sameness. This modern age which you and the other Steel Angels have come to represent is a completely alien thing to him. He feels lost and he cannot make himself strive forward to embrace the current age."_

_ "Is that why he's now training Dean-san? I thought it was because of the Power Jewel she found all those years ago in that cave in Canada!"_

_ "The Power Jewel does factor into my creator's desire to train Deannette, but there is more," Negako said as s/he reached over to draw an arm around Kaga, which made her shudder as she leaned over against her companion, resting her head in the crook of Negako's neck as she closed her eyes and allowed herself to take in the heady musk of her companion's body. "Like I, Hirosuke views Deannette as a surrogate child. She has actually even taken to addressing him as 'Papa-sensei,' no doubt wanting to regain some sense of family after she lost hers back in 1882 thanks to her uncle. She was born in what the British address as the Victorian Era. She also has problems adjusting to the current age, but she is striving to accept things that Hirosuke cannot understand or actually finds repulsive. And while she sees herself as Canadian and is loyal to the government and social structures that rule the Dominion, Deannette can accept what the Jewel ultimately demands of her. To be the protector of _all living things _on Earth."_

_ "To be the Earth Angel's Protector. The Protector of All Life."_

_ "No, _you_ are that protector, Kaga."_

_ Silence._

_ "Negako . . .!" Kaga gasped as she gazed up into those glowing eyes – the one visible effect that would inform anyone that the _Saikō Jinseijutsu _was taking control of her host body that could _not_ be suppressed, not like the total whitening of the skin or the tiger-stripes that appeared on her skin as s/he strove to manipulate the local ley lines and mana fields to draw the Earth's very life energy into her/him so she could use her many powers – and then her eyes softened as she leaned in._

_ They kissed as the Steel Angel shifted herself into her companion's lap as they continued to kiss away, though Kaga knew how to control herself as Negako – despite what s/he was capable of doing to anyone or anything that got in her/his way – was still in a fully human body, with all its advantages and disadvantages. Finally, they slowly parted, and then Kaga moved to lean her chin on Negako's shoulder, closing her eyes as tears flowed down her cheeks. The possessed ninjutsu-ka was quick to sense it._

_ "You have all decided, haven't you?"_

_ A nod. "Are you angry at me?"_

_ "No. I am actually quite pleased with you."_

_ Kaga sighed. "We have no choice. We've sensed what's going on in Italy and Germany. The war that ended over a decade ago didn't really end; it just went into a sort of intermission. Japan might fall in with them with the way things are going here, too!" A sniff. "Another war is coming. And it'll be far worse." She sniffed back her tears. "The one program that I will _never_ disobey is to bring harm to those I seek to protect, Negako. And we were all built to protect humanity. If we become involved in that war, it will be a disaster that not even Dean-san could stop."_

_ "So when will it happen?"_

_ "Soon." Another sniff as Kaga moved to gaze into her companion's eyes. "We want you – both you and Dean-san – to make sure it happens. And when it comes time for us to return – so that we can function as we have – we want you or Dean-san to come back to us. To wake all of us and tell us it's alright for us to live again."_

_ Negako nodded. "So it will be . . . "_

* * *

Keppeki Girl's Junior High School, today . . .

"Negako-sama . . .?"

Nako shushed her new headmistress. "Kōchō-sensei, don't disturb her."

The others in the room – save a still-meek Saeko – nodded . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School . . .

"Oh, for cryin' out loud . . .!"

"What's the problem, Ryū-chan?"

Ryūnosuke turned as the Moroboshi siblings came up to her, and then she thumbed what was now hanging on the wall on the inside of the open window of the school's store, where Kotatsuneko could be currently seen, enjoying a morning pipe as he relaxed in a chair. "Oyaji's bein' a dickhead again," she said as Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi looked over to read:

**CAUTION  
Do NOT sell gym shorts to this cross-dressing, ungrateful son!**

Under the warning, there was a picture of Ryūnosuke.

"My Heavens," Hiromi then breathed out, shaking her head. "To believe that he will stoop to such levels just to keep his delusions alive and well." She then took a deep breath before staring at Kotatsuneko. "I trust, honoured sir, you will not go along with such barbarism concerning our clearly FEMALE classmate?"

Kotatsuneko breathed out before raising a sign; he really did like the new kittens living at his adopted home, but there were some things even a cat-ghost from the early Meiji Era couldn't do. [**I SIMPLY HAVE NO CHOICE, CHILD.**] The sign twirled around. [**UNLESS YOU CAN MAKE THE PRINCIPAL CHANGE THE RULES ABOUT STUPID TOMCATS INTERFERING WITH HOW THE KITTENS COMING INTO THIS PLACE ARE TAUGHT.**]

"Translation: Your old man found out about the special rules concerning parental input overriding the school regulations when it comes to kids going to classes here, Ryū-chan," Ataru stated before he stared apologetically at Ryūnosuke. "They got set in when Hensō started attending classes here to make sure that no one could do anything to hurt her; the Parents Association – pushed by Baka Kā-san – had that set in. It was the one thing she could agree with Mendō's old lady about."

"What happens in gym classes?" Ryūnosuke then asked. "It's March now, so we don't do anythin' outside unless we're in full track suits – and the only thing we're doing indoors these days is martial arts trainin' under Negako-san; she got me the gi for that – but when summer comes . . . " She shook her head; her new empathic senses, which were being slowly woken to get her mind used to the idea of having such powers, did pick up the fact that the big fella in the school store _did_ want to help her, but he couldn't due to the damn rules. Rules that her fool father was taking advantage of. "I actually WANT to get a pair of gym shorts! Now that I'm wearing a sports bra instead of a sarashi . . .!"

Tidal wave. "_**RY**__**Ū**__**NOSUKE! HOW **_**DARE**_** YOU START CROSS-DRESSING . . .?**_"

"Low blow."

Mr. Fujinami stopped. "Eh?"

_CRUNCH!_

And out a window he went! "I love the seaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa . . .!"

Kotatsuneko puffed his pipe. [**NICE HIT!**]

"Dōmo!" Tariko said as her cheeks reddened, and then she sighed before turning to gaze on Ryūnosuke. "You actually WANT to wear those torture devices, Ryū-chan?"

The tomboy blinked. "What's wrong with gym shorts?"

"They're exactly as Tariko just described them, Ryūnosuke-san," a strange voice hailed from nearby. "Torture devices. At least BOYS wear more proper shorts!"

"Hey, Shinobu!" Tariko said as Shinobu came up.

"Ohayō, everyone," Ataru's former girlfriend said before she took notice of the note posted to the wall inside the window of the school store, and then she read it before shaking her head. "Oh, God! I don't begin to believe this! What is that man trying to do?"

"He's being a stubborn fool that doesn't wish to confirm to reality, Shinobu-san," Hiromi answered. "Didn't you see him fly out of the building just now thanks to Onē-san? That was after he learned that Onē-sama purchased sports bras for her."

"Not to mention him tryin' to break into my room to get rid of them," Ryūnosuke added. "And that doesn't mention him tryin' to poison me this mornin'!"

"_**WHAT?**_" Shinobu shrieked out.

"Oh, relax! It's not fatal," the tomboy assured her quite enraged classmate. "It's just a weakness concoction he comes up with every once in a while when he thinks I'm gettin' too big for my britches. I know what it tastes like, so I stopped before I could take in any of it, then went to have breakfast at the Moroboshi home." She then smirked at Ataru. "And got to learn that other families aren't as well off as mine."

Shinobu blinked, and then she sighed. "Jesu Cristo! What happened?"

"Well, if you'll accompany us to the classroom, Shinobu-san, we'll regale you with the sorry tale," Hiromi said as they headed down the hallway . . .

* * *

In the air nearby, closing in on Tomobiki High . . .

"To believe Ryōko DID that sort of thing!"

Mendō Shūtarō sighed as he and his sister relaxed in the cargo hold of a surplus United States Air Force Convair C-99 Skylifter heavy transport – which had been saved from the scrap yard at Kelly Air Force Base outside San Antonio in Texas by the Mendō Conglomerate's financial agents in America during the late 1950s and lovingly restored to flying condition . . . complete with modern electronics and defences – as it moved into an altitude where both could then egress from the machine and safely do a HALO jump to arrive on the school grounds before the first bell thirty minutes from now. "She resents you taking all of Okā-sama's attention away from her, Tachiko," he stated as he nodded thanks to a Kuromegane after he had been safely strapped in a sky-diver's rig complete with reserve parachute up front. "Even though you mean her no harm and only desire to live your life, Ryōko sees you as a threat."

"Well, it was very nice of you to loan that group of female Kuromegane for me to have as my own detail," Tachiko noted as she allowed one of her new female bodyguards – who were as pretty as any of the Mizunokōji Kurotenshi even if they were dressed in proper business suits with slacks in lieu of the polo shirts and hot pants Tobimaro's and Asuka's bodyguards/servants had – to strap her into her own rig. "How soon will the command cars have their tires repaired so we can travel the NORMAL way to school and back?"

"Hopefully by this afternoon. I instructed the Kuromegane to be very aggressive should the Kuroko come about to cause more mischief."

"Ah . . . "

"Young Master! Young Mistress!"

The Mendō siblings looked forward. "What is it?" Shūtarō demanded.

"Sir, the Lady K'ekhech of Ait'uch Nehech is floating outside the window!" the command pilot on this special flight called back, a tinge of surprise in his voice.

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Kyech-san?" Tachiko demanded. "What's she doing here?"

"Um . . . just looking at the airplane, Young Mistress!"

Shūtarō and Tachiko exchanged surprised looks . . .

* * *

Down below . . .

"What in the name of the gods is that boy up to?" Onsen Mark demanded.

Everyone in Class 1-4 were now standing by the windows looking up into the sky as the piston roar that heralded the presence of a C-99 heavy transport plane – just like the very craft Mendō Shūtarō had come to school in for the very first time the previous August – in the skies over Tomobiki. "I would dare assume that Ryōko-san is being her normally mischievous self and has deprived Shūtarō-san and Tachiko-san of the use of their normal command car to come so they can come to school, Sensei," Hiromi mused, and then she perked as two tiny dots exited from the port side of the low-flying cargo craft. "Ah! There they are! Looks like they're trying to do a HALO jump."

"Hopefully, they'll miss the old willow tree," Marubeya Momoe mused.

As everyone watched, the two dots soon became noticeable people wearing silver school uniforms. "Damn!" Ryūnosuke breathed out. "Is that NORMAL for that guy?"

"Not really, but he has the ability to do it, so he uses it when he has to," Ataru noted. "Take a piece of advice, Ryū-chan: Don't EVER do anything with his sister Ryōko."

The tomboy looked over. "How . . .?"

"Hey!" Megane gasped, pointing. "Who the hell's that up there with them?"

Everyone perked, and then they turned to look up . . .

. . . as Ataru's face then turned pale on his sensing a VERY familiar ki signature tinged with the raging torrent of one of the Dragons of Heaven.

The _Noukiite_ Dragons of Heaven, of course . . .

"Kyech . . .!"

* * *

"Shūtarō, what are you doing?"

Shūtarō perked on hearing that calm question, and then he turned to see a familiar Noukiite woman with shaggy reddish-pink hair and deep chestnut brown eyes floating down at an equal speed to himself not a metre to his left. "Sky-diving, Kyech-san!" he called out even if the wind whipping past him hadn't blanked out that voice. Taking a check of his altimeter, he took a breath, and then pulled the rip-cord. At the same moment, Tachiko did the same. Twin chutes – as always with members of Japan's richest family, the square parachutes had the clan's octopus head _mondokoro_ on them – then deployed, braking their fall as they moved to guide themselves onto a safe landing on the front lawn.

Watching this, the Dragonspeaker – who could levitate herself with the powers she had been granted a lifetime before by the greatest of the Sky Lords of Noukiios – then slowed herself down as she waited for the two sky-divers to catch up to her just as they passed below five hundred metres' altitude above the ground. Assuming a crossed-legged position, she then turned as Tachiko came up to drift down with her. "You are Avalonian," she noted.

A nod. "Hai, Kyech-san." Tachiko then introduced herself before explaining what had happened to cause her creation in the first place. At the end of it – as the Mendō siblings were moving to land – she added, "We're travelling so unconventionally today because Onii-sama's real sister, Ryōko, is getting jealous of the fact that Okā-san is treating me with more love and respect than she does her. Given that I am Onii-sama's twin both in body and in soul – and that Ryōko always loves to provoke things with Onii-sama – I am as much a legitimate target in her eyes as he is."

Kyech hummed. "She needs to be properly disciplined."

By then, the Mendō siblings had reached the ground. With practiced ease, both Shūtarō and Tachiko executed perfect front rolls to allow them to stay on their feet without messing up their uniforms, and then they flicked off the parachute packs from their bodies with a touch of the release clamps. Once they were free, Shūtarō pulled out a cell phone from his pocket and flipped it open, tapping a control to open a link to the orbiting cargo plane. "Landing successful," he called out. "Return to base. Have a cleanup crew come here to obtain the parachute packs as soon as possible."

"Understood, Young Master!" the pilot of the C-99 replied.

By then, several people had come up to help them gather the parachutes and pack them away. "How come you're parachuting your way to school today, dude?" Mifune Hideyuki asked as Tachiko nodded her thanks for coming over to help out.

"My command cars had their tires slashed, Hideyuki-san," Shūtarō stated as several girls pitched in to help clean up his parachute. "No doubt Ryōko's doing because of her growing jealously concerning Tachiko and the amount of attention she draws from our mother." He then turned and bowed apologetically to the Principal, who had just come up to greet them. "I apologise for the unorthodox way of coming to school this morning, Kōchō-sensei. It could not be avoided."

"That's more than fine, young man. At least you're willing to clean up after yourself," the Principal said before he turned and bowed politely to the visiting Noukiite free warrior. "Welcome back to Tomobiki, Lady K'ekhech. Is there some reason you are coming to visit us today?"

Kyech nodded in return; as she held her deadly spear-tipped battle axe-polearm weapon known as the _K'uktech-souang_ in her right hand, she could not give the older man the proper left fist-in-right open palm salute of her people. "Heaven's sincere blessings on you and your school, Lord Schoolmaster," she said. "At'at'at' and I will be here in Tomobiki for the next while. Certain elements of other races have come to resent Her Imperial Majesty's extension of the Imperial Dominion's protection over this world. My presence here will hopefully prevent any incident from causing others harm."

"I see." A tired sigh. "I assume that Moroboshi-kun's use of his privledges under Paragraph Ten of the Tag Race Treaty and the revelation about that cobalt bomb your people found in the city didn't properly persuade certain people from understanding the truth of the situation?"

"No," Kyech replied, shrugging. "But that is to be expected of politicians. They say one thing and do another. It is natural of their kind."

"Kyech."

She perked, and then turned . . .

. . . as a familiar man came up to her. Seeing him – and remembering the many passionate nights she had spent with this man under the starry sky of Okusei over a six-week period – the Dragonspeaker felt her cheeks redden as she ducked Ataru's stare. As people watched this, they were quick to see the look of embarrassment and pain flash across his face. Finally, he sighed. "How are you doing?"

A nod. "I am well, Ataru."

"Where's At'-chan?"

"_**ATARU!**_"

He turned . . .

. . . and then yelped as a booted foot slammed into his jaw, knocking him over to fall face-first into the ground. As he collapsed, a lithe woman in a white tunic and dungaree blue slacks landed in front of Kyech, an annoyed look on her face. Like the Dragonspeaker, this woman was Noukiite with the caste tattoos of the Flower Youth on her cheeks. She appeared a couple years younger than Kyech, possessing a different head-ridge pattern, turquoise hair styled in two ponytails behind her ears with pretty ball barrettes and eyes the shade of maple fudge. "_**HAH!**_" she snapped as she pointed accusingly at man she just dropped-kicked. "_**YOU MEANIE! HOW DARE YOU . . .?**_"

"At'at'at'."

The newcomer then turned VERY pale on hearing that stern voice before she turned around to gaze up into the eyes of the woman she loved more than life itself . . .

. . . only to find said woman's eyes now GLOWING as shadows seemed to cross her face. Seeing that, EVERYONE – save for Ataru, who was muttering choice comments about idiot girls who couldn't get a bloody story straight – took an involuntary step away from the two Noukiites as the newcomer cringed from that piercing look.

Kyech then raised a finger. "You didn't do the knee drop correctly."

A mass face-fault resulted!

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Ryūnosuke's problems with her father drugging her food were inspired by the _Yatsura_ anime episode where she first appears, "Ryūnosuke Arrives! I Love the Sea!" (anime episode #63). Moroboshi Komeru's under-the-table support of his brother and sister-in-law was a theme I introduced in _The Senior Year_ to explain how fast the Moroboshi home in Tomobiki could recover from it being wrecked like the time the combined forces of the Mendō family and Lum's family destroyed it in the anime episode "Terrible Inspection Day" (anime episode #16-2); this was inspired by the manga story "The Parents Day From Hell" (manga episode #51). The whole matter concerning the prohibition on selling Ryūnosuke gym shorts (bloomers) comes from the manga story "Give Me Gym Shorts" (manga episode #149). And Mendō Shūtarō made his first appearance by literally PARACHUTING into school in the manga story "Trouble Drops In" (manga episode #23).

2) Translations: **Pulgogi** – "Fire Meat," which is applied to any meat (beef, chicken or pork) which is marinated and then barbecued over an open fire; **Ipso facto** – "By the fact itself," a Latin phrase which indicates a certain phenomena would result from a specific action in question (like Kinsho's "I wish I never had you!" tirades actually meaning she wishes to mature into her senior years without filial support, thus literally "Grow old and die alone!"); **Shōsa** – Army major, air force squadron leader, navy lieutenant-commander (NATO rank code OF-3; U.S. Armed Forces pay code O-4); **K'uktech-souang** – "Cleaver of the Heavens," the direct Noukiite analogue to Lǚ Bù's _Fāngtiān Huàjǐ_ ("Sky Piercer"), known in Japanese as the _Hōten-gageki_.

3) **Sumeragi Tenkai** and his daughter, **Sumeragi Uruka**, were characters in the anime series _Kōtetsu Tenshi Kurumi 2-shiki_; the former's obsession with the latter's happiness was a major plot point in the whole series.

4) The family name of the headmistress of Keppeki Girl's Junior High School is written with the kanji 大佛 (the _kyūjitai_ "old character form" format) or 大仏 (modern format). The first character is read "tomo" (the _nanori_ "self-introduction" reading of "dai," meaning "great"). The second kanji is read "hotoke" (the _kun'yomi_ "meaning reading" reading of "butsu," meaning "Buddha"). All the teachers at Keppeki Girl's Junior High School that appeared in the manga storyline "Fortress of Fastidiousness" (manga episodes #336-338) all physically resemble various depictions of the Buddha as appearing in various shrines across Japan. The given name for Headmistress Tomohotoke, "Asuka" (written as 飛鳥), is taken from the other name of the Hōkō-ji temple in the city of the same name in Nara Prefecture, **Asuka-dera**; a Great Buddha statue is located in the temple there. Also, Mizunokōji Asuka's given name is written with the same kanji as her new headmistress' given name.

5) Mizunokōji Saeko was shown to be quite the iron lady in her own right in the _Yatsura_ manga series, but given how all the characters in the series all possessed some sort of vulnerability or weakness to one extent or another (Mendō Shūtarō's claustrophobia, Mizunokōji Asuka's androphobia, etc), I decided Saeko would suffer from **asthenophobia**, which is literally the fear of being weak. Given her determination that Asuka be as physically strong as possible – and her mad drive to see Asuka be strong on **_Saeko's_** terms, not her daughter's – her possessing such a phobia seems quite plausible to me.

6) Both the characters of **Master Hosan Hirosuke** and **Major Deannette Antonia (Dean) Raeburn** are my creation; I've explained both their origins in various stories. And no, as Kaga said in the flashback, Master Hosan is NOT a _Highlander_-type immortal who can die by getting decapitated and having his life-force taken in the Quickening.

7) The **Convair XC-99** was a cargo plane derivative of the **Convair B-36 Peacemaker** strategic bomber first developed in the late 1940s and deployed with elements of Strategic Air Command from 1949-59. The only model of the XC-99 (which was never given a name) first flew in 1947 and was delivered to the USAF two years later. The XC-99 – which never went into full production in real life – was taken out of service in 1957 and put on display at **Kelly Air Force Base** in San Antonio, Texas (these days, the base is called Kelly Field Annex as an element of **Joint Base San Antonio**) and put on display there until 2004, where it was moved to Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio to become a display at the **United States Air Force Museum**. Due to problems and costs in resroring the XC-99 to display-level condition – the aircraft was stored outside, thus deteriorating the hull and wings to a very critical level – the prototype was shifted once more in 2011 to **Davis-Monthan Air Force Base** in Tuscon, Arizona to be stored until funds for full restoration could be done. In the universe of this story, the C-99 (the name **Starlifter** is my creation) did go into limited service during the 1950s as support transports to the B-36 force.

8) **At'at'at'** is based on the _Koihime Musō_ version of Chinkyū Kōdai (also known as "Nenene"). Her proper name is **Seu-Nich Yesu-Ak Hechnich'-Ekpuo**. I made a small mistake here when I did the Korean-Noukiite encoding for Nenene's childhood name. The kanji going into that is 音々音, which would be read in han'gŭl as 음음음 (ŭmŭmŭm). I forgot to change the nil-sound symbol "ㅇ" (which is read "ng" at the end of a syllable) into "k" ("ㄱ") when I made the word a Noukiite one (I tend to make that mistake when it comes to this particular character encoding, especially when it starts a word), so her childhood name should actually be pronounced "Kat'kat'kat'." My mistake.

9) Of course, the scene where At'at'at' drop-kicks Ataru in the jaw – and Kyech's response to that – is taken directly from the seventh episode of _Shin-Koihime Musō_, "Chinkyū Is Taken In By Ryofu."


	11. The Story of Avalon

Meanwhile, on a planet 115 light-years away from Earth . . .

"Your Excellency, we're honoured by your presence. The floor is yours."

"You have my thanks, Your Highness. I shall not be long."

With that, the lavender-haired Noukiite woman with the expressive amethyst eyes – she appeared to be in her early twenties, but now that it was known that this woman was actually a Noukiite-turned-Avalonian, her actual physical age was much greater – stood up from her guest chair and made her way down the centre of the great meeting hall to the special lectern set up for her at the head of the room. As she walked up to make her speech, the Lady Seu-Ch'ek Yech'a-Mung Hechnich'-Nakkyek of Ait'uch Nehech – known to all her closest friends by the name "Kaep'" – was quick to hear the many whispered words of admiration, awe and lust from the many onlookers, both humanoid and non-humanoid alike. While she personally didn't care for that sort of thing – Kaep' simply felt herself not ready to seek out either a life-mate or at least a bond-mate in the Avalonian/Sagussan tradition due to the pressure of being where she was now – she did find herself blushing on hearing some of the more admiring comments from the many diplomats, administrative aides, military personnel and other worthies having gathered in the beautiful desert oasis city of Rajdhani on the planet Tahupraemiku this day.

It was not all positive, though.

The Niphentaxian delegation – many of whom were proudly displaying icons affirming their allegiance to poor Lum as their "living goddess" – were all glaring hatefully at this living symbol of what they had refused for over a CENTURY to accept. But given the loss of their whole battle fleet, not to mention the majority of their military artisan force thanks to the liberation of the Avalonians two weeks before, there was nothing they could do save give dirty looks towards her and dream of days of vengeance.

Which would never come.

And most of the Urusian delegation present today – led by Lum's own dullard of a father as well as Seq Yethis, uncle to Lum's would-be fiancé Rei and known leader of the so-called "Imperial Round" who passionately worked for the restoration of the pre-Union Revolution Urusian Empire – gazed on this woman with a mixture of frustration and simple racial loathing concerning what Kaep' and her superiors back in Suchkyuk had recently done to a world they actually had the audacity to consider "theirs."

What arrogance!

Well, it was time to finally force such unworthy creatures to realise how the galaxy TRUTHFULLY worked, the Imperial Chancellor of the Noukiite Outmarches mused.

Taking the podium and exchanging a polite bow with Crown Princess Lupica, Kaep' turned to face the gathered delegates of the member-worlds of the Galactic Federation Alliance of Planet-States. Giving them the proper hand salute, she bowed her head. "Noble worthies of the Galactic Federation, in the name of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of Noukiios, I relay Heaven's most sincere blessings upon all of you, your home worlds and your peoples represented at this gathering this day," she began.

Polite applause responded from most of the onlookers. Kaep' remained silent as it finally faded, and then she took a deep breath. "Much that I believe that most of us would not wish to have come here and imposed of the wonderful hospitality of our most truly gracious house, the Crown Princess Regent Lupica of Tahupraemiku . . . " She waited for the applause to come again as a blushing Lupica bowed her head. "The events of a fortnight ago Noukiite time on the planet Phentax Twelve necessitated our gathering this day. Many of you have questions about what happened, why it happened and what does this event mean for this noble gathering of sentient species allied together in defence against potential enemies both ancient and modern. Her Imperial Majesty – while ultimately desiring to see a race of sentient beings that had been held in chattel slavery for the past century by the natives of Phentax Two finally free to pursue their own destiny under their own control – does understand the many concerns you all have regarding the future of your races and how such will be guaranteed now that the most powerful military member of your Federation has been effectively humbled and forced to admit their gross crime against the Avalonians as a whole to the Universe at large."

Her eyes then locked on the Niphentaxians, all of whom looked ready to start screaming bloody murder at her. A quick glare from Lupica towards the leader of the group quickly silenced them, though no doubt once Kaep' and her friends left this chamber, they would be expressing their outrage at what happened on Phentax Twelve soon enough. Pity. Given what had been arranged on Okusei by the Empress with President Hozan Lana of Uru – with Emperor Schwartz of Ipraedos and First Mage Redet Belok of Dominos – any attempts by the Niphentaxians to regain their "stolen property" would guarantee a war that would slaughter millions and most likely devastate whole planets if it went out of control. It was time to prevent even that from happening.

"As was reported by Her Imperial Majesty's ambassador to our most gracious host a fortnight ago, the Avalonians are a race of female bioroids created by a factory constructed fifteen millennia ago by a certain sect on the homeworld of the Maidens of the World of Holy Reincarnation – the Maidens of the Eternal Voyager as you would address them – Sagussa, located in a stellar cluster 25,000 light-years beyond the Galactic Barrier. The bioroid factory was constructed in an experiment to see if it was possible for a sentient species possessing the many psychic gifts the worthies of old Sagussa had as a birthright to develop without the necessity of having two separate genders to engage in the natural act of reproduction. Of course, those bioroids produced by this factory were at the pinnacle of physical and mental health and could be produced at a physical age ranging from six to twenty-five Noukiite standard years of age. And since it was programmed only to create female bioroids, there was no perceived need to give the factory the ability to create male bioroids."

She paused to allow people to whisper to each other as they discussed what had been just said. Kaep' took the chance to sip the spiced tea that had been prepared by one of Lupica's assistants and left on the lectern for her. After the noise then quieted down, the chancellor continued, "Shortly after the bioroid factory was placed on the world which would later be known as Phentax Twelve, a five-century long civil war broke out on Sagussa. Said war effectively destroyed the race then alive on that world and effectively guaranteed that a hundred thousand young women from all the known humanoid species possessing carbon-based DNA and iron-based blood would be gathered by the Great Dragon Ship – the Eternal Voyager to all of you – to be resettled on that world to give it new life under the auspices of the 'Grand Design of the Fifth Republic of Sagussa;' the word 'republic' in Sagussan, _sen'a_, also can be used to describe a civilisation as a whole." As people gaped on hearing that, Kaep' then smiled at the delegation from Karasutengu. "If you have doubts about what I have just revealed, you may ask the noble delegation of the Kingdom of Karasutengu for proof. They have been in close contact with the Maidens due to an unfortunate incident some centuries ago with a beast calling herself the 'Celestial Toymaker,' said incident forcing the Great Dragon Ship himself to break his well-known neutrality in concerns with the affairs of other species to effect a rescue and a negotiated truce with the Celestial Toymaker to ensure she would not do such a terrible thing again."

More nods from the audience; the tale of the Celestial Toymaker was well-known across the worlds of the Federation and beyond. "As the Grand Design began in earnest on Sagussa ten millennia ago, it was decided by the Maidens that the Avalonians – as they were, in effect, the last living remnants of the Fourth Republic – would be left alone and allowed to develop their own culture without hindrance from the mother world. Unfortunately, by then, the Elder Mother of Avalon, the Most Venerable Lady Glorianna, decided it would be best for the bioroid factory to shut down and await a time when the races then developing on both Phentax Two and Phentax Five to get into space before they would make open contact with the hopes of promoting peaceful trade and co-operation between the three societies. However, due to Phentax Twelve's own inherent geological instabilities, the caretaker crew of the factory all perished in a terrible accident eight millennia ago and the factory computers itself had not been properly programmed to create new caretakers to assume their posts. Thus, the factory would remain dormant until a century ago . . . when a remarkable man named Ganzo dai-Louc, recently graduated from technical college on Phentax Two and part of a colonisation mission to Phentax Twelve, made a most profound discovery on that world."

Scattered applause, though Kaep' was quick to sense cauldrons of outrage billow from the hearts of all the Niphentaxians present in the meeting hall today on hearing this "escaped slave" speak of the Arch-Heretic in the open like that. "Elder Ganzo was quite unique as his people come," the chancellor then continued. "While blessed with the unique ability all of his countrymen are born with when it comes to replicating the technological and social advances of other species, he was also blessed with something that many Niphentaxians tragically have lost over the years and centuries ever since their world had their first contact with the Most Venerable Lord President Lecasur of Vos two millennia ago." A pause, and then she smiled. "He was also blessed with the profound understanding that if his race didn't find some way to develop the ability of original thinking – to literally create for themselves in lieu of copying from others – then his race would eventually die out. He did not desire that. And in coming to understand what the Avalonians could give them, especially given the fact that as _**bioroids**_ . . . " – she emphasised that word with a bite in her voice – " . . . they could interbreed with the Niphentaxians and give birth to children blessed with the best abilities of both parent races, thus allowing Niphentaxian and Avalonian to become one people, a race that could have passed on the blessings of old Sagussa not just to themselves, but all their future allies in the Galactic Federation."

As she sensed people glare at the Niphentaxian delegation, Kaep' sipped her tea. "Tragically, no one listened to Elder Ganzo. And once the bioroid factory's full capabilities were analysed and understood, it was then put into production, creating a perfect race of _**chattel slaves**_ to serve their 'masters' in ways I wish not to speak of in polite company but I am more than sure you can all imagine." Noting the glares being focused on the Niphentaxians increasing, she shrugged. "Fortunately, even if the leaders of that world could not bring themselves to see the Avalonians for what they truly were, leaders on Phentax Two understand the concept of not killing the avian blessed with the ability to lay golden eggs. Thus, they instituted a strict policy of secrecy when it came to the Avalonians to ANYONE who might question or sense the presence of such beings amongst the natives of Phentax Two and their colonies. They made Phentax Twelve a closed colony, threatening death to anyone who dared invade the airspace of that world from other lands, even their own neighbours on Phentax Five." She nodded to the Gophentaxian delegation, all of whom were nodding in turn. "And when people began to follow Elder Ganzo in his noble and passionate drive to seek full emancipation for the Avalonians, such people were declared 'heretics' to whatever 'church' was in power during that time and ultimately hunted down and killed to maintain their silence. Eventually, by the time Elder Ganzo himself was forced to flee for his life to Okusei, any hopes by the supporters of Avalonian emancipation to make their case heard in a public forum was silenced by the many legal clauses restricting any form of religious opposition the leaders of that race could employ against their perceived enemies."

A smirk. "But in chasing Elder Ganzo from their world, they made a mistake."

Sensing the Niphentaxians all tense, Kaep' then smiled. "As you all know now, I myself am a Noukiite-turned-Avalonian," she calmly declared. "I am one of nearly nine thousand people that were born in the last years of Ait'uch Nehech three millennia ago whose souls were frozen at the time of our deaths and preserved in mesonium crystals at various shrines across our poor homeworld honouring our failed attempt at maintaining peace and order among our people, to maintain and uphold the united culture the Ch'uoeuk dedicated his life to founding two millennia before our time period." She waved to herself. "In my case, Elder Ganzo was able to obtain DNA from my old body in relics preserved at a shrine, then allowed that DNA to clone itself in an Avalonian body, one of 10,000 bioroids he had been able to obtain from the factory before his enemies came to kill him and he fled the Phentax system for Noukiite space. Templating the body at ten years of age, he allowed my soul to be reborn again, then saw to it that I was adopted by a barren couple in Nu'uk Province on the northern continent under the name 'Eyu-Ch'ek Yech'a-Kaep'.' I therefore got the chance to literally relive much of my childhood and my adolescence again, then pursued a career as a civil servant after passing the _Eu'e_ to eventually become governor of Okusei . . . and then, when I was judged worthy, I was declared Her Imperial Majesty's Chancellor of the Outmarches."

As people nodded in understanding – Kaep' was quick to sense the automatic dismissal from the Niphentaxians concerning her advancement up the civil service ladder on Noukiios – she took another sip of her tea. "As I stated just now, I was not the only one of the Flower Youth of the Tri-Kingdoms to be granted new life thanks to Elder Ganzo's hard work. Another person was a woman adopted by a barren couple from Ryekkyuk under the name 'Eyu-P'ye Yesu-Kyech.' She would – after fully mastering the incredible gifts bestowed upon her by the Sky Lord Nengmek'i in her first life that ultimately doomed her to be slain by her own sisters – eventually came to earn another name from many of the races she gladly came to defence of in the last ten years or so from various fighters from the planet _**Yiziba**_ . . . "

She ignored the collective gasp of horror and fear from the audience that saying _that_ particular planet's name provoked among most sentient species throughout the local cluster, though she paused to wait for them to calm down. When they did, she smiled.

"You all know her as 'She Who Speaks to Dragons.'"

Silence.

"My adopted daughter in my first life – and yes, regretfully, the woman who ended my first life, both out of a profound sense of duty to the good of the common people due to my own many faults and deficiencies . . . and thanks to the madness her gifts from the Sky Lords of Noukiios was ultimately driving her towards – and my friend and my sister in this life: Seu-P'ye Yesu-Re Hechnich'-K'ekhech of Ait'uch Nehech, now of Okusei," Kaep' proudly declared. "How many of your _worlds_, how many of your _cities_, how many of your _natural parks_, _preserves_ and _reservations_, have been spared the wrath of a rampaging heel from that world just beyond the space of the Kingdom of Elle?" She ignored the collective shudder through the audience as she added, "To say anything of a natural disaster or the short-sightedness of your own industrial leaders? _**How many, I must ask you all!**_" As she felt people in the crowd pause to consider that question, the chancellor sighed. "I asked Kyech that very question a year ago. Her response was that she had lost count of all the times she's teleported herself between solar systems to rescue someone in need . . . and in the end, she simply didn't CARE!"

Flashes of shame was now appearing the hearts of many of the people present. _Good!_ Kaep' mused as she sipped her tea. _Time to close this_. "So I must ask you all this," she said. "If it is possible for a woman ultimately born of that bioroid factory that was left on Phentax Twelve fifteen millennia ago to be able to do all THAT – even if she was gifted in her first life by the Sky Lord Nengmek'i – doesn't it stand to reason that a RACE born of that same factory should be given the chance to prove themselves in all our eyes? Do we all vow in our basic laws that we will respect the choice of the Maidens of the World of Holy Reincarnation when it comes time for them to elect their King? Do we also not declare the Free Warrior Lady Shogai Dakejinzō, adopted of the planet Fukunokami, a sentient being with the rights one should expect of such a being . . . and it is known that she is a _synthezoid_, not a naturally-born person?" She indicated the delegation from Fukunokami with a wave of her hand. "Doesn't it therefore sound hypocritical of people to say a race of bioroids does NOT deserve such rights?"

"_**THEY DO NOT!**_"

Eyes snapped to the leader of the Niphentaxian delegation, who had bolted to his feet as he glared murderously at the Noukiite-turned-Avalonian chancellor. Before he could say anything else, a cold female voice echoing with unholy power spoke out:

"_**Isn't it a pity that **_**I**_** do not agree with you, **_**same**_**!**_"

Horrified gasps then escaped the audience as someone emerged from the darkness at the far end of the meeting hall. A woman in the slate-grey, form-fitting uniform with the white lemniscate-shaped symbol of the Goddess Who Walks Amongst Men.

Relota Ugadese, the twenty-sixth Infinity of the Free State of Yiziba.

Kaep' smiled; she hadn't expected the other woman to come here, but her presence was more than welcome. "Lady Relota! Heaven's most sincere blessings upon you!"

A chuckle. "While I do not believe as you do, Kaep', I accept your greetings in the true passionate spirit they were given," the blue-eyed woman with the long raven hair in a high ponytail said as people began to scream out in horror on noting that the most powerful of "They Who Must Never Be Named" was now amongst them like a rabid canine set loose among the farm avians and there was no way to stop said canine from having a very rich meal. Blinking as the wall of sound bombarded her ears, the Yizibajohei metahuman warrior – as Infinity, Relota had been gifted with the ability to warp and transform Reality itself to her very command – calmly raised her right hand, poising her thumb and middle finger together as if to snap them. On seeing that, people watching this nearly choked on their breaths as they all cringed in mortal terror.

_SNAP!_

"There," Relota stated as she lowered her hand. "All exits are sealed."

A collective scream of terror.

"_**QUIET!**_"

Total silence.

Relota sighed. "In the Name of the Great Crystal, I must ask this: WHY does Kyech put up with such pathetic creatures like _**all of you?**_" Ignoring the pale looks, pleas of mercy to various deities and the now-noticeable stench of bowels and bladders voiding themselves of their contents, the Yizibajohei took a deep breath. "Kaep' was being _nice_ to you," she declared. "'Nice' is not a word in my language, so I will _**tell**_ you all what is going to happen from this point on!" She looked around. "Are you all paying attention?" she asked in a faux-sweet voice that just dripped menace.

As people rapidly nodded, the new arrival then smiled. "Good. Now, thanks to Kyech's friends from Noukiios, the really cute sky dragons that live there, their party-buddies from Yehisril and those fight scene-loving same fighters from that planet, all the Avalonians who were trapped in lives they didn't want have been freed and are now moving to make very nice-nice with the natives of the planet Earth. SINCE the natives of Earth appear to be evolving in a direction that any self-respecting Yizibajohei . . . " Her eyebrow twitched ominously as people screamed out. "_**SHUT IT!**_" she bellowed out, the sonic boom of her voice rattling the meeting hall to its very foundations.

As silence fell over the chamber again, Relota crossed her arms. "Now, since the natives of Earth appear to be evolving in a way any Yizibajohei . . . " – she then smirked on noting THIS time that people hadn't screamed out on hearing That Name – " . . . can respect, my people have decided that they deserve a chance to evolve in that direction WITHOUT ANY INTERFERENCE FROM ANY OF YOU!" As people gaped, she smirked. "Therefore, since the folks of the Special Committee on Alien Activities in the city they call 'the Big Apple' have long pursued a policy of _**total neutrality**_ when it comes to interacting with other races . . . " A smirk. "That's what's going to happen."

In a flash of light, she then appeared right before Redet Invader, who screamed out on seeing the current incarnation of the monster that had led a vicious retaliation – the so-called "Mother of All Fight Scenes" – on his world 250 years before thanks to a failed tag race run against That Planet . . . but then got his voice cut off when a hand snared him by the throat and yanked him out of his chair, forcing him to stare face-to-face with a being that could destroy his whole RACE with just a THOUGHT!

"In other words, Fat Boy, it means that _**your**_ stupid race of _**sames**_ is going to HONOUR YOUR WORTHLESS WORD for once in your pitiful existences!" Relota snarled, and then she pointed at Kaep', who was calmly sipping her tea. "Her boss back on Okusei told you and your boss Lana that since Moroboshi Ataru – You remember him, don't you? He's the poor fellow that got his whole LIFE nearly destroyed thanks to your FAKE daughter! – has declared under the tenth paragraph of that scrap of paper you signed with the Men In Black, NONE of _**your**_ stupid race of _**sames**_ are going to show your ugly faces on Earth for the next two hundred seasons!" She pulled him until their noses were touching. "That's 'years' to a stupid same like you, Fatty!" she growled.

Another flash of light saw Relota appear in front of Yethis, who was snared by the throat and yanked out of his chair to directly face her. "And that means YOU and all your stupid little would-be tyrants are going to fade into the darkness, boy!" she said as she glared into his dark eyes, which were now as wide as dinner plates as his skin grew sickly white. "And maybe if you and your kind will be SMART for a change, you'll arrange for you all to go through your _**death scenes**_. After all, the ordinary same on your planet would rather NOT want to deal with your kind anymore! And if you DON'T . . . " She smirked. "A Mother of All Fight Scenes will be arranged." As the crowd around them all cried out on hearing THAT apocalyptic threat – the Mother of All Fight Scenes over two centuries before had totally devastated Uru and, in one sense of the term, guaranteed the overthrow of the Empire in the Union Revolution – she then let him go. "THIS time, we'll make sure no other race will have to worry about you sames EVER AGAIN!"

As many of the Urusians in the room began to whimper in terror or cry like spoiled children who had their favourite toys taken away, Relota teleported once more, this time appearing in front of the king of Neptune, Oyuki's father Fuyu. "As for YOU, Snowy, you make sure that warp chamber of yours is set to dump snow on Mars – that's the _**fourth**_ planet in your solar system, not the _**third!**_ – from now on. Do ANYTHING that hurts anyone on Earth – ESPECIALLY Moroboshi Ataru and his family – and we will BURY you in so much SNOW and ICE that you'll NEVER be able to dig yourselves out!"

As the aged monarch of Neptune rapidly nodded his head, Relota then turned. "Now, YOU . . . "

A snap of her fingers made all the Niphentaxians disappear!

With that, the woman called Infinity breathed out. "My, that was _boring_!" she then confessed, making almost all the people in the chamber stagger in shock. "I wonder if there's a good fight scene going on back home." She then gazed on Kaep'. "Tell Kyech I'll be around to look in on her sometime soon, Kaep'. Later!"

And with another flash of light, she was gone. Silence fell over the chamber as the people there took a minute to consider what had been said, and then many perked on hearing an empty cup being placed down on a lectern. As they turned to gaze on Kaep', the Noukiite-turned-Avalonian chancellor smiled before she gazed on a frazzle-haired Lupica. "Your Highness, I apologise. I didn't expect the Lady Relota to make such an appearance at this meeting. I'm sure the exits to the hall have been unsealed, so I won't take any more of your time. Besides, given what I'm smelling right now, I do believe many of the worthies in this hall need to visit the restrooms. Do have a good day."

After tapping her bracelet, she vanished in a shower of teleportation energy, followed by the remainder of the Noukiite delegation . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, lunchtime . . .

"Relota-chan did WHAT?"

"She said she was going to visit Tahupraemiku when Kaep' goes there to make her speech announcing the official establishment of the Imperial Commandery of Earth."

Hearing that, Ataru winced before he turned back to his tea. "Shit! When SHE lets go, is there going to be anything standing after she's done?"

Kyech lightly smiled. "She can control herself, Ataru."

"Um, Moroboshi . . . "

Ataru looked over. "Yeah, Mendō, what is it?"

"Who is this 'Relota?'" Shūtarō demanded.

A smirk. "Relota Ugadese; the first name's the given name. She's from a planet named Yiziba. It's a world full of metahumans; people born with superhuman powers. Like the superheroes and supervillains you read about in North American manga."

People stared at him, all of them wide-eyed. "Holy cow! A world full of Ultramen and Sailor Senshi?" Kakugari demanded. "That would be so COOL!"

"Not to the natives of worlds like Uru and Elle, 'Yuki."

Eyes locked on Tariko. "What do you mean, Tariko-san?" Tachiko asked.

"Well, if you ever said the name 'Yiziba' or the word 'Yizibajohei' – that's what you call a native of that planet – in front of someone like Hensō, she'd scream out in terror and fly for the hills," Ataru's twin explained. "The Yizibajohei are the most feared race in the whole galaxy . . . if not **_beyond_** the galaxy. Not because they do stupid things like conquer other races. It's because the planet is in a state of a perpetual 'game' where 'faces' and 'heels' duke it out with each other 24/7. Just like the real big fights you read about in American manga, especially the cross-series events that folks from DC Comics and Marvel Comics put out every once in a while."

Silence fell as people considered that. "What for?" Shinobu wondered, clearly baffled that such a race could possibly exist out there.

"There is no rhyme or reason for the natives of that world to do that, Shinobu-san," Hiromi explained. "It is a planet in a permanent state of pure anarchy. Such battles – known as 'fight scenes' there – could escalate up to the 'devastate the whole planet' stage . . . and would continue again and again simply because those who participate in such contests simply thrill at the chance to match power and skill against a worthy opponent." The reborn emperor tried not to smile too much as the people around her gaped in disbelief at her words. "Agreed, it makes no sense, but in the eyes of any self-respecting Yizibajohei, what we would consider 'normal' – peace, quiet, the right to live in a society under laws and government answerable to the people as a whole – is a loathsome concept to someone like Relota-san."

"So why would Lum-chan's people be so scared of them?" Chibi wondered.

"Two hundred-and-fifty years ago, the then-Urusian Empire launched a planned invasion against that world, Akira-san," Hiromi answered. "Of course, unlike the case with us and Hensō-san facing Onii-san, the proper intelligence about the Yizibajohei had not been gathered by the time the Tag Race was initiated. The person facing the Oni 'champion' at the time could ALSO fly, thus resolving the issue in ten seconds."

"I heard it was seven seconds," Tariko noted.

"It was 8.2 seconds, Tariko."

Eyes locked on Kyech. "So what happened?" Ryūnosuke then asked. "If these Yizibajohei won the Tag Race, the Urusian couldn't invade, right?"

"Indeed. But the Urusian commander did a most foolish thing right after that, Ryūnosuke-san," Hiromi said. "They accused the Yizibajohei champion of _cheating_."

People blinked. "How could it be cheating if the Yizibajohei champion could also fly?" Inu Chigaiko then demanded. "It wasn't their fault that the stupid Oni didn't 'do their homework,'" she then said with derision, quoting Hensō's very words said to Ataru on the first day of the Tag Race on Earth eight months before.

"Agreed, Chigaiko-san. But at that time, the Urusians were led – and are still strongly influenced to this day – by people who look upon other sentient species as 'lesser' than they," Hiromi stated. "After declaring that the Yizibajohei had cheated and thus did NOT win the Tag Race, the Urusian commander then declared that they would invade Yiziba anyway and enslave all their people." A shake of the head. "Which was a decision that led to what came to be called the 'Mother of All Fight Scenes.'"

The others in the room considered that. "You mean like what that idiot Saddam Hussein said about the 'mother of all battles' back in 1991?" Megane asked.

"Aye, Satoshi-san. In THIS case, however, it did not involve just a small sector of Uru's inhabited surface . . . but the WHOLE PLANET!" the reborn emperor then said in a voice that sent shivers down the backs of those in the room who had not heard of the Yizibajohei until today. "The end result was total devastation for the whole planet and mass humiliation for the leaders of Uru at the time. A famine then set in that killed millions over the next five decades, driving the peasants and urban poor to the point of revolution. And all it required in the end was one person – a kinswoman of Ran-san, Aruka Syl – to spark a revolution." A sigh before she sipped her tea. "Though I do confess, now that I understand much more about the way the Urusian government works these days, the Lady Syl's sacrifice didn't really do much."

People tensed. "What do you mean?" Tsuruya Rumiko demanded.

A sigh. "Many of us – and yes, I count Onii-san, Onē-san and myself amongst them – were taken very much by how friendly Hensō-san, Damasu-san and young Ten were. Even Rei-san could be quite pleasant to be around with when his hunger was temporarily abated and he didn't transform into his ushitora body." As people around her nodded, Hiromi sighed. "Because of that, it was quite easy for all of us to forget that Hensō-san originally came to this world on the pretext of an INVASION! What would have potentially happened to the people of Earth had Onii-san NOT won the Tag Race? Or someone not as skilled as he had been selected as our planet's 'champion?'"

Jaws dropped. "Damn! I've never really thought about that!" Perm breathed out.

"Neither have I, admittedly," Megane noted, crossing his arms.

"Nor did we, especially after Hensō-san began showing her good-natured side and a willingness to adopt within reason to life on Earth, everyone," Hiromi stated. "But when the Empress of Noukiios forced President Lana of Uru to come to Okusei to be made to adhere to Onii-san's decision concerning Paragraph Ten, I heard Hensō-san's father confess something." She closed her eyes. "He stated – I forget the exact words – that it was within the Oni psyche to go forth and challenge anything that faced them. To overwhelm it by whatever means possible. To subjugate it and bend it to the will of the Oni, make them subservient to the Oni, thus ensuring they could never become a threat to the Oni." A shrug. "Now, on the one hand, I can understand that sort of thing. All sentient beings in this existence – even a race like the Niphentaxians, who mimic things without creating something unique and of themselves . . . or a race like the Yizibajohei, who are sickened to the core of their very souls when faced with anything that hints of conformity – are driven by the basic urge to better themselves and guarantee a better future for their posterity. But on the other hand . . . "

"They're scared of us."

That was Inoue Tamako. "Hai, Tamako-san, they are VERY scared of us," Hiromi said, not reacting to what her empathic senses and ki powers were now detecting about her classmate. "As fascinated as they have been with us over the last millennia, the Oni are also fearful of the potential we have to expand in ways they can't imagine. Yes, their concern for our safety in the face of a potential Ipraedies invasion was most gratifying, but if such fear and loathing underlined those actions . . . " A shake of the head. "Then I personally would wish them to be on the other side of the Universe."

"Is that what drove you to keep Hensō away, Ataru-kun?" Marubeya Momoe asked.

He sighed. "Part of it, Momoe-chan." A look of outrage then appeared on his face. "But the REAL reason I stuck that to them was to make sure Lum and her friends got some justice for what happened to them five years ago on Home Base." He stood up and walked over to the window to gaze outside. "You all mind-melded with her and the others back in Onishuto, right?" As people nodded, he looked outside. "She probably masked what happened to her AFTER she found herself in a brand-new body, literally torn away from everything she had known to that date. Her family was effectively gone, not wanting to listen one damn bit to what Nassur or Cinba-san or Dakejinzō-chan or even Zōju-obāchan said about the curse that got put on Lum when she was a baby. She couldn't live on Uru; if Ōgi's fools got wind that she was trying to pass the word on the Avalonians to her people, they'd kill her in an instant." A disgusted snort. "And ultimately kill their own 'goddess' along the way." A shake of the head. "And because making nice to the Niphentaxians to keep them allied to the other worlds of the Galactic Federation was the ONE thing everyone from Onishuto to Bensaikyō to Kōri City to Baran and all the other capitals across the galaxy believed HAD to be done . . .!" Another shake of the head. "She had no choice but to flee to Okusei, where she could be protected by Su – she's Benten-san's wife – and Kyech here and everyone else in the Flower Youth."

"Sacrificed on the altar of 'galactic security,'" Hiromi spat out.

"Damn . . .!" Mifune Hideyuki slowly exhaled.

"Could you people IMAGINE going through that?" Ataru then demanded before he pointed to Ryūnosuke. "Ryū-chan here became an Avalonian yesterday. But at least she KNEW what she was getting into and she was willing to do it to give her the one thing she's never had against that fool father of hers: An advantage he can't overcome." A shake of the head as tears appeared in his eyes. "Lum never had that chance. There was no way in hell that she could go after Ōgi to get her life back! First of all, he'd never believe that his own precious 'goddess' could be turned into a SLAVE! Second of all, he knew that if his 'goddess' DID become a 'slave,' it would threaten how his home society was structured at the time, all on the backs of poor girls like all of Chigaiko-chan's and Rumiko-chan's friends, Mendō's 'angels' and everyone else now living free here in Tomobiki! And worst of all, he had the unqualified SUPPORT of all his counterparts from Onishuto and elsewhere! How in the name of the Kami could even LUM fight THAT?" he snapped before looking away. "She couldn't . . . "

"She was FORCED to become an Avalonian . . . and she simply didn't understand WHY she was forced into that and couldn't be accepted as she really was!" Shinobu breathed out. "My God! It must have destroyed her!"

"It almost did, Shinobu," Tariko said. "Lum tried to kill herself six times after she got moved to Okusei." As the other men in the classroom beyond Ataru all screamed out in shock and outrage on hearing _that_ declaration, she breathed out. "Thank the gods that Kuhu was there for her. Just like Su was for Benten-san, Tap'uch was there for Oyuki-sama and Tachp'uch was there for Ran-chan."

"Yet they would never get a chance to get some recognition outside Noukiite space until the day Hensō-san tried to marry Onii-san," Hiromi noted.

Eyes locked on the crimson-haired Noukiite free warrior now with them. "It had to be done," Kyech stated as she finished her tea. "Justice had to be served. And it will be served no matter what." She then stood to toss the paper cup into a nearby garbage can. "At least, unlike the Oni and their friends, we KNOW that given the chance, your people will expand fast and hard AND not destroy yourselves in the process. Especially once the Seifukusu are made to see reason and turn over the worlds of their own spinward outmarches to the control of the United Nations and the Republic of New Avalon." She then reached over to pick up the Cleaver of the Heavens. "At'at'at' and I will go over to your house to meet with Negako, Ataru."

"Don't abuse Baka Kā-san too much, Kyech!" Tariko teased.

"That depends on her, Tariko," the Dragonspeaker warned.

The Moroboshi siblings laughed . . .

* * *

Kyech walked out of the classroom, immediately turning to head for the main entrance down the hall. At'at'at' was patiently waiting by the front doors; Kyech had ordered her to remain here so as to not cause another confrontation between her and Ataru, much less give Tariko – who had come to nickname the former grand strategist of Suk'i "Kikanjū-chan" due to the similarity between At'at'at's childhood name and the sound an automatic repeating firearm made – the chance to pick on her.

"Did he force himself on you?" the turquoise-haired free warrior then asked.

She ducked the annoyed look sent her way by the Dragonspeaker. "There is no need to be jealous, At'at'at'," Kyech then advised as she waved her companion with her to the genkan, where their outdoor boots were currently placed. Slipping them on, they then headed outside . . . only to find a rather BIG cat with mostly white fur sitting in their path, facing off to the west as he enjoyed his afternoon pipe. Noting that – and wondering how in the name of the Ch'uoeuk that a Terran domestic cat could grow so HUGE! – At'at'at' then jerked on sensing a feeling of pure BLISS escape Kyech.

There were very few things that could distract the Dragonspeaker.

This was one of them.

"_**PRETTY KITTY!**_"

Seconds later, a surprised yowl then echoed over the school grounds . . .

* * *

Class 1-4 . . .

"Hey! Wasn't that . . .?"

Hiromi gaped. "That was Kotatsuneko-san!"

People quickly scrambled over to the windows to look outside and towards the main doors. A second later, their jaws dropped in shock on noting something that they – with all their experience dealing with aliens and the like – could NEVER imagine.

"Holy shit!" Megane gasped. "She's actually got that guy in her LAP?"

"And she's PETTING him?" Perm demanded.

"Who the hell's purring?" Kakugari wondered.

"That's Kyech!" Ataru said, smirking at the sight of the normally-invincible and unstoppable Kotatsuneko being manhandled by his former lover. "Can't you hear that rumble in the purr? That's the sound she makes when she's really happy!"

"She's THAT strong?" Shinobu asked.

"Shinobu, this is a girl who can practically dead-lift the mass of MOUNT FUJI with ONE ARM!" Tariko answered. While she did feel resentment at times towards Kotatsuneko – especially on remembering the first time the giant cat-ghost had come to the Moroboshi home, taking Ataru's own kotatsu and placing it on the stairs, then knocking him away every time he tried to pass by while Ten was floating nearby, laughing – she really didn't mind him deep down, especially now that he had camped out in the guest house at Negako's suggestion to ensure Ataru didn't ultimately die from heat stroke, especially with summer soon to come. "No matter how strong the big guy is, she could take a HUNDRED of him and not break a sweat!"

"Hopefully, she's not manhandling the poor fellow TOO much!" Hiromi mused.

"Oh, relax, Hiromi," Ataru said. "He loves it."

"So it seems," Tachiko mused.

Hearing Mendō's sister, Ataru then perked as he glanced at Ryūnosuke for a moment, and then he turned to snare his rival by the arm. "Let's go talk somewhere private," he hissed as the other man stared in confusion at him. "I got a proposition for you."

Mendō blinked . . .

* * *

The clock tower belfry, moments later . . .

"That MONSTER! How DARE he demand such a thing of Ryūnosuke-san?"

Ataru sighed as he relaxed on the work bench close to the school bells; he had brought Mendō to this place after showing him the sign now stuck to the wall on the inside of the school store window. "Yeah, tell me about it! All thanks to that amendment to the school rules the Parents Association – driven by both my mom and yours – put through after Hensō started attending classes here!"

Mendō hummed. "Still, that sort of thing does give you and I – plus our sisters, especially given what Hiromi-san is ALSO in charge off – an advantage."

"True. But you have to admit, allowing that abusive bastard to get away with that sort of shit concerning Ryū-chan is definitely not a good thing."

The scion of Japan's richest family nodded. "Agreed. So what is this proposition that you have? How would I benefit from it?"

"Oh, nothing more than helping a fellow big brother to not have to live through the idea of watching his own newborn sister forced to wear _bloomers_!"

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"_**TACHIKO? IN BLOOMERS? I WON'T HAVE IT!**_"

Ataru smirked. "Good!" he breathed out. "So what say you and I get some money together, find some place that can't be sabotaged by anyone – like Ryū-chan's old man, for example – and create unisex gym shorts in a Bermuda-style design with the school logo on it? Maybe personalise them to each wearer? Five pairs per person, boy and girl alike . . . and we introduce them on the first day of normal outdoor physical education classes come spring term, probably after Golden Week?"

Mendō hummed. "How would such clothes look?"

His rival looked over. "Denpatan-chan!"

A black blur topped in sunflower blonde hair soon produced another of the Kuromoroboshi ninjas, a pretty girl with clearly American ancestry. "You wished to see me, Young Master?" Kitei Denpatan then asked as she bowed low to him.

"You were listening to us?" Ataru asked.

"Hai!"

"Would you show Mendō what I have in mind for Operation: Burn the Bloomers?"

Denpatan smiled. "As you wish . . . " She then stood up and concentrated.

"_**JINFUKU HENSENKAZE KITEI: GAKK**__**Ō**__** NO SH**__**Ō**__**TOPANTSU!**_"

Her black gi instantly melted away into a pair of Bermuda-style gym shorts, coloured dark blue, with the Tomobiki High School symbol – a baseball with the kanji for "Tomobiki" in vertical formation over it – over the right leg up front and the name "Denpatan" in scripted Roman letters over the left leg up front. On seeing that, Mendō gaped, and then he nodded in approval. "Very nice. I approve of something like that, Moro- . . . " he said as his eyes then turned up to stare at . . .

A gargled scream then escaped him as blood exploded from his nose. Ataru jolted on seeing that, and then he looked over at Denpatan before he sighed. "Den-chan."

"Hai, Young Master?"

"Did you forget something?"

Denpatan blinked, and then she looked down at herself.

A second later, an embarrassed shriek echoed from the clock tower . . .

* * *

The front steps . . .

"What in the name of the Ch'uoeuk was THAT?" At'at'at' demanded.

Kyech hummed as she gently stroked a rather dazed Kotatsuneko's fur. "Did you say something, At'-yu?" she dreamily asked as she cuddled close to the cat-ghost.

At'at'at' blinked, her cheeks instantly heating up. "Kye-yu . . .!"

Well, it WAS a start . . .!

* * *

The ground floor outside Class 1-4, minutes later . . .

"Um, Moroboshi . . . "

"Yeah, Mendō?"

"Denpatan-san was most well-endowed."

"Not surprising. Her late father WAS from California."

"Ah," the scion of Japan's richest family breathed out. "May I ask something?"

"What?"

"Why didn't YOU react to that?"

Ataru stopped before he gave Mendō an amused look. "Shūtarō, old buddy, let me tell you something: After SIX WEEKS of doing the horizontal Macarena with Kyech – and actually meeting some of the other Flower Youth girls who are even BIGGER than her! – a half-American, half-Japanese girl with size 36 D-cup breasts doesn't make me blink!"

Mendō stared at him, and then he sighed. "I don't know whether or not to consider you the luckiest bastard alive or think of you as the ultimate cad!"

"Mendō, after what I went through on Morningstar Plain, I don't consider myself a lucky man under ANY circumstances," the other man said as he headed inside.

Mendō watched him go, blinking, and then he sighed before moving to follow his classmate into the room. He then jolted on seeing a VERY angry Tachiko standing there. "Onii-sama!" she snapped as she leaned up to glare into his eyes. "Why have you been bleeding from the nose? Did you catch some poor girl when she was compromised?"

As most of the other girls in the class all gasped, someone cleared his throat. "It's my fault, Tachiko-chan."

She stopped, and then looked at Ataru. "Ataru-san . . .?"

"I asked one of the Kuromoroboshi to demonstrate a modification of the Combat Clothing Transform Whirlwind technique we can use to make our body's ki change our clothes when we need to," he stated. "She forgot to cover her top and your brother saw it."

Tachiko – much less most of the other girls in the class – blinked on hearing that, and then she relaxed. "Oh, I see. I apologise, Onii-sama."

"It's alright," a stunned Mendō replied.

"Oh, Mendō."

Mendō perked. "Hai?"

"Regarding what we just talked about," Ataru stated. "Don't let Ryōko find out about it. You don't want to give her ANOTHER excuse to embarrass Tachiko-chan, ne?"

Mendō hummed, and then he nodded. "Good point, Moroboshi."

The others watched them as they returned to their seats, almost EVERYONE stunned on seeing how civil the two avowed rivals actually were. "It's the end of the world . . .!" Koi Shinjin then moaned as he took out some beads and began to pray . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Kaep'** (proper name **Seu-Ch'ek Yech'a-Mung Hechnich'-Nakkyek**) is based on the _Koihime Musō_ version of Tōtaku Chūei (childhood name "Yue"), who I have to confess is the utterly CUTEST depiction of the character of Dǒng Zhuó to appear to date in anime or manga. Compare Yue (who first appeared in the fifth episode of the original _KM_ anime series, "Kan'u Exterminates a Monster") with the _Ikkitōsen_ version of Tōtaku Chūei (Tadasu Suguta), much less the versions of Dǒng Zhuó that appeared in _Sōten Korō_ or the _Dynasty Warrior_ series of video games from Kōei. By the way, the birth/gender order prefix **Yech'a** means "second daughter." Benten's wife **Su** (proper name **Seu-Nuk Yesu-Kye Hechnich'-T'achkaech**) is based on the _KM_ version of Chōryō Bun'en (childhood name "Shia"); she is a bounty hunter based out of Okusei. Ran's wife** Tachp'uch** (proper name **Seu-Susa Yesu-Ch'ech Hechnich'-Kaechkyuk**) is based on the _KM_ version of Kakōton Genjō (childhood name "Shunran"); she is a major general in the Noukiite Imperial Marines and commands one of the two expeditionary forces based on the planet Kaisei (known as "Magairu" in _The Senior Year_). Like her counterpart on Earth, Xiàhóu Dūn, Tachp'uch had her left eye shot out in a battle when she was younger; she wears a butterfly-shaped eye patch given to her by Ran to cover her wound. And Tachp'uch's cousin and Oyuki's wife **Tap'uch** (proper name **Seu-Su****sa Yesu-Kyech Hechnich'-T'yenuo**) is based on the _KM_ version of Kakōen Myōsai (childhood name "Shūran"); she is a rear admiral in the Noukiite Imperial Navy and commands the other expeditionary force based on Kaisei.

2) **Lupica** appeared in the sixth _Yatsura_ movie, _Always My Darling_. The name for Lupica's home world given in The Senior Year was "Tōfunokoibito" (literally "lover of tōfu"), derived from Rupa's trade as a tōfu salesman; **Rupa** is Lupica's love interest in the movie. I decided to change it for this story by combining the Indonesian word for tōfu ("tahu") with the Telugu (a language spoken in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh) base word for "lover" ("praemiku"), thus keeping the general theme of what I used in _TSY_. The name of the planet's capital city, "Rajdhani," is derived from the Gujarati (the native language of the Indian state of Gujarat) word _rājdhānī_ ("capital city"), thus acknowledging the southern Asian looks of people like Lupica and Rupa from _Always My Darling_.

3) **Seq Yethis** is a character originally created by Lew Burton in his _Just a Dream_ fanfic series from the 1990s; that story inspired a lot of the "Urusian Imperial" elements that appeared in _The Senior Year_ and other works I've done. Emperor **Schwartz** of Ipraedos, First Mage **Redet Belok** of Dominos (the home planet of the Seifukusu) and King **Fuyu** of Neptune were all introduced in _The Senior Year_ as leaders of their home planets. **Shogai Dakejinzō** first appeared in "Arrive Reiko-chan." **Kitei Denpatan** appeared alongside the other Kuromoroboshi in "Tag Race Mark Three." The story introducing the **Celestial Toymaker** and explaining what had happened between her and the Karasutengu is planned to occur in _Urusei Yatsura Twenty Years Later_. **Koi Shinjin** first appeared in the _TSY_ story "Lum's Lesson."

4) The **Yizibajohei** (pronounced "yih-zee-bah-whoa-hey") are a race I planned to bring into _The Senior Year_, but never got around to doing it; I eventually did introduce them in stories I wrote in the Anime Addventure. I will also bring them in for _Twenty Years Later_. The whole concept behind them is based on the Levramites from Jim Valentino's comic parody series _normalman_ from the 1980s and 1990s. The most powerful character on Levram, Captain Everything, has an analogue on Yiziba in **Infinity**, who can literally warp all of Reality itself to his/her command (the gender of the character changes per incarnation). Think of a person like **Relota Ugadese** as akin to Suzumiya Haruhi from the Tanagawa Nagaru light novel series that acutally has conscious control of her power and you get the right idea.

5) Given that the Yizibajohei (I got the whole "They Who Must Never Be Named" concept and the like terms from what is applied to Lord Voldemort in the _Harry Potter_ novels) live in a perpetual "show" depicting fight scene after fight scene, their sense of time is scaled to movie terms: **frame** (second), **scene** (minute), **act** (hour), **episode** (day), **story** (month), **season** (year), **series** (century), **saga** (millennia). Also, their terms for other races are pretty self-explanatory: **norm** (people without metahuman powers), **same** (people sharing the same type of powers) and **meta** (people like Yizibajohei). How they divide themselves comes from professional wrestling: **face** (the good guys), **heel** (the bad guys) and **neutral** (self-explanatory). Of course, a **fight scene** is self-explanatory, as is a **death scene**.

6) Noukiite notes: **Suchkyuk** is the Imperial Dominion's capital city; it's the analogue of Sŏul (Seoul). **Nu'uk** Province is the Noukiite analogue of _Chagang-do_ (**Chagang Province**) in North Korea. **Eu'e** is the Imperial Civil Service Examination held every year on Noukiios and her major colony planets to select new members of the bureaucracy. **Suk'i** is the Noukiite analogue of the Chinese _Xiàpī_, which is the city (these days, it is called Pīzhōu) where Lǚ Bù and those who followed him (such as Chén Gōng) were finally caught and killed by the forces of Cáo Cāo in the winter of 198 C.E. **Ch'uoeuk** is the Noukiite term meaning "Great King;" it is always applied to the founding king of **Ait'uch Nehech** (Noukiios' first world-wide ruling dynasty), **Muchach** (an analogue of the mythological founder of Korea, Tan'gun) who lived five thousand years ago in what today is the city of **Ryekkyuk** (an analogue of P'yŏngyang).

7) The word **lemniscate** is the term applied in algebraic geometry for the sideways figure eight symbol "∞" which defines the concept of infinity.

8) Translations: **Ushitora** – tiger-cow; **Kikanjū** – Machine gun; **Jinfuku Hensenkaze** – Combat Clothing Transform Whirlwind; **Kitei** – Modified/Alternate; **Gakkō no Shōtopantsu** – School Shorts.


	12. Gunslinger Teachers and Butterfly Angels

Chōshi Hospital, after school . . .

"I'll leave you two alone, Sempai. I'll be outside."

With that statement, Sebone Noriko bowed deeply to the wounded warrior on the bed and then quickly withdrew from the room. Watching her from where he was standing by the window of Hodo Amanezuke's room, the tall and muscular man with the long wavy black hair done in French braids to mid-chest and dark blue eyes peeking out of a face displaying a mixture of Oriental and Polynesian ancestry could only blink in surprise before he moved to slip his sunglasses back on. As was normal for one of the premier male fighters of Yōshū, he was dressed in casual clothing chosen to allow full freedom of movement: White T-shirt and baggy surplus American army pants over Converse running shoes. A bandanna was wrapped around his head. The ghost of a moustache and a goatee was on his face. "What the hell's the matter with her, man?" he asked as he gazed on the wounded Nan'yō sophomore. "She's acting like you just tore a strip right off her."

"I did last night," Amanezuke breathed out as he turned to "gaze" on his former classmate from Mago Katahiko's old dōjō. "Can we talk serious, Itsuku?"

Hearing his birth name, Futoshi Itsuku – known as "Taishiji Shigi" among all his peers across the Seven Schools – perked, and then he moved to take a seat beside his friend's bed. "What the hell's with you, Amane?" he asked. "You're normally not this tense. Not with me . . . and sure as hell not with Noriko-chan there."

"She did something that displeased me," Amanezuke said. "The fight out on the beach a week ago by the Hamachaya? The teashop got wrecked and Fujinami-san and his daughter were forced out of their home. They're now in Tomobiki as we speak."

Itsuku breathed out. As he was a student at Yōshū, he often visited the various tourist traps along the Kujūkuri Beach that extended from south of Chōshi to Ichinomiya near Cape Hachiman. He knew of the Hamachaya and the weird family that worked that place. A nutcase widower who couldn't – or WOULDN'T – admit the fact that he had a daughter and not a son. And said daughter, literally brainwashed into acting like a man even though she knew she was a woman, who was still a very good fighter in her own right; were she a tōshi, Fujinami Ryūnosuke would probably be a B-rank. "Damn! That's too bad! The old man's a fruitcake, but the daughter is one good fighter!" He then perked on remembering what else his host had just told him. "Wait! TOMOBIKI?"

"Yeah," Amanezuke breathed out as he lay back on his bed. "The tōshi now attending Tomobiki High School came here last night and told me the whole story."

Silence.

"Whoa! Whoa! What the FUCK?" Itsuku gasped. "A TŌSHI? In TOMOBIKI?"

"Yeah. She's Moroboshi Hiromi; she's one of the Avalonian bioroid sisters of the last host of the Black Death. She claims to be Reitei-sama."

More silence.

"How the FUCK is that POSSIBLE?" Itsuku demanded. "Reitei-sama's NEVER come back! Not like Kentei's come back on occasion! You SURE about this?"

A sigh. "Truthfully, now that I've had a day or so to think about it, I'm not too sure now. But I can tell you what I sensed when she visited last night and told me what happened to the Fujinami family, Itsuku. The cold feeling of a magatama. And ki that would even impress the shit out of Katahiko-sensei. Not a dragon, though. This felt different, almost . . . " Here, Amanezuke's voice trailed off as he tried to come up with the right word to describe what he had encountered the previous evening, and then he breathed out. "I don't know, man. Like a phoenix in a way . . . "

Itsuku blinked. "Dude, you realise that does NOT make any sense!"

"Tell me about it," Amanezuke muttered.

The Yōshū sophomore hummed as he sat back in his chair. Yeah, he had seen the pictures of Moroboshi Ataru and his new sisters. He had read the newspapers and scrolled through all the Internet websites about what went down in that part of Metro Tōkyō over the last eight months or so. That Moroboshi Negako was the Black Death – the deadly, unstoppable creature that had been used over the years to kill errant tōshi threatening the peace and order imposed on the Home Islands by the various shōgun of the Tokugawa Clan – was a no-brainer: The "demonstration" she had given to the people of Tomobiki of her capabilities after she sent those Niphentaxians punks back to their homeworld with their tails tucked between their legs was the only clue one needed to know the _Saik__ō__ Jinseijutsu_ had finally got what she had wanted for over two centuries.

But what of the other sisters, Moroboshi Tariko and Moroboshi Hiromi . . .?

Wait a minute.

Hiromi . . .?

Drawing out his cell phone from his pocket – like most tōshi, Itsuku made use of a quick messaging phone to ensure he could get the detailed alerts about Imperial decrees passed down from the current holder of the Gyokuji, Tadasu Suguta, a sophomore at Rakuyō who was the current incarnation of the Shepherd of Bīngzhōu, Dǒng Zhuó – he opened it, then tapped buttons to get into the wireless Internet. Getting onto the news page for NTT DoCoMo, he quickly tapped out Moroboshi Hiromi's name in hiragana in the search engine, and then clicked the command to get it working. A moment later, a picture came up, showing a smiling girl looking very much like her brother . . .

. . . and possessing a white magatama earring hanging off her left lobe.

"Fuck! She's A-rank . . . " Itsuku breathed out . . .

. . . and then his eyes locked on the kanji that made her name: 諸星 宏美.

Seeing that third character – which was read '_hóng_' in Mandarin and possessed the local _on'yomi_ reading '_kō_;' the character could be interpreted as meaning 'wide,' 'spacious,' 'great' or 'vast' – made the Yōshū sophomore blink several times.

Amanezuke was quick to sense his guest's shock. "Shigi . . . "

After a minute, Itsuku breathed out as he closed the browser of his phone and slipped it away. "The first kanji in her name matches Reitei-sama's real given name."

The wounded Nan'yō sophomore slowly nodded. "I wouldn't have noticed that," he admitted, and then he perked. "So the chances of her BEING Reitei-sama . . . "

"Are fuckin' gettin' better by the minute, Tōkubō," Itsuku finished, and then he shook his head. "I don't get it, though." As Amanezuke "stared" at him, the other man then said, "If this is really Reitei-sama, where the HELL has he been these last eighteen centuries? Did this girl tell you anythin' about that at all?"

"No, she didn't. From what she told me, Ataru found the magatama with her soul in it when he was six and kept it around as a good luck charm." Amanezuke smirked. "Didn't really work with that Oni until the end, I guess." As both men then laughed, the wounded tōshi sighed. "She has all the knowledge the Black Death possesses, so that could probably explain her magatama ranking. And she . . . " A tired sigh. "She blames herself, Itsuku. For our past-selves' souls getting into the magatama."

Itsuku blinked. While he personally didn't waste much time reflecting on how he had come to be influenced by the soul of Tàishǐ Cí of Dōnglái, the man respectfully addressed by even his would-be enemies as the "Righteous Fighter of Yōshū" **_did_** believe that he was Tàishǐ Cí reborn in this life. "Why?" he finally asked. "I mean, I've never really thought about how our past-selves' souls got into the Sacred Beads in the first place, but I know they're there! And it's been _**eighteen centuries**_ since our first lives! Any sort of knowledge about HOW it happened has been lost to history!"

"She still blames herself," Amanezuke warned. "Look at what she calls herself."

"What?"

"Ryūkō Kyōrei."

Silence.

"What . . .?" Itsuku hissed out.

A sigh. "My point. Now, does it prove that she's Reitei-sama?" Amanezuke then shook his head. "I don't know. When she was here, I had no choice BUT to believe she is who she says she is. But . . . " A sigh. "Itsuku, you wanna know something?"

"What?"

"She's NICE!" the Nan'yō sophomore breathed out. "I mean, she's really, honestly and earnestly NICE! Like little Tsueko-chan was. Remember her?" As the other man nodded, Amanezuke sighed. "And she's involved with the whole thing about the Avalonians. She considers the guy who saved us all from ALIEN INVASION – and TWICE at that! – her older brother now. And worst of all, she considers the _**Black Death**_ her older SISTER!" A tired smile crossed the wounded tōshi's face. "I like her, man. She's Koro Sonami magnified several times over. But if people like Tōtaku or Sōsō – or possibly those idiots down in Nanban – get their hands on her . . . "

Itsuku nodded. "I hear you, man." A sigh. "I'll go check her out."

Amanezuke smiled, and then he gave his guest a warning "look." "Don't breathe a word of it to ANYONE, Itsuku," he said. "I'm afraid that if news of this gets out and people decided to trip into Tomobiki to seriously hurt this girl . . . "

A nod. "Gotcha." With the _**Black Death**_ related – even by adoption – to this girl, any tōshi stupid enough to seriously hurt Moroboshi Hiromi would have a DEATH MARK on their heads. And no power that any tōshi commanded – not even any of the Haoryū themselves – could stop the likes of the _Saik__ō__ Jinseijutsu_ when she had marked someone to die.

"You get yourself better, man," Itsuku said as he held out his fist to the other man, which Amanezuke responded to by tapping his own fist to it. "I wanna see you in another Great Fighters Tournament before we get out of high school. Later."

"Watch yourself."

"I'll be cool."

* * *

Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home . . .

"_**KYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH . . .!**_"

The two visiting Noukiite free warriors winced on hearing that strangled scream from the older woman standing in front of them. At'at'at' tried not to sigh too much; even if she didn't really like Moroboshi Ataru or Moroboshi Tariko, she still adhered to strict moral standards when it came to filial piety and its proper reciprocation to the younger generation as they sought to make their own marks in this life. Standards that THIS creature flouted with her known verbal abuse of her flesh-and-blood child; while she had not gone to Onishuto that day two months ago to stop a wedding between Ataru and the false Redet Lum, she had seen the Intergalactic News Network special on the event and had overheard what Kyech had threatened to Ataru's mother.

"Peace be unto you, Moroboshi Kinshō," the reborn great strategist of Suk'i then said with a formal bow of her head and a proper hand salute, though her greeting wasn't the more polite "greetings-to-equals" which required the blessings of Heaven to be invoked. "We will be here for a time being while the unworthy creatures that caused your home and family such trouble are properly tamed and made to see that they have no place anymore in your lives. Your son and daughters invited us here . . . "

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT . . .?**_"

"Kinshō."

Ataru's mother froze on hearing that deceptively calm voice.

"Don't shout," the Dragonspeaker advised. "You're only making yourself look like a total fool in front of all your neighbours." On saying _that_, Kyech's eyes then flecked to a nearby couple on the street off to her right rear, who was gazing in their direction and shaking their heads in disgust. "And given Negako's revelations of the previous week, I doubt your habit of blaming Ataru for YOUR shortcomings will work."

"No, it will not," a familiar toneless voice then stated as Kyech turned. "Greetings, Kyech. At'at'at'. What brings you both to Earth?"

"We're an open deterrence to those who would ignore your venerable and noble brother's commands concerning the presence of the Oni or their allied races on this world, Most Venerable," At'at'at' said as she politely bowed to Negako, giving her a proper fist-in-hand salute. Ignoring the slight twitch over the grandmaster's right eye at once again being called "Most Venerable," she added, "The Lady Chancellor Nakkyek, this very day, delivered Her Imperial Majesty's most noble Proclamation concerning the full establishment of the Imperial Commandery of Earth to the worthies of the Galactic Federation at their main meeting hall in the Royal City of Rajdhani on the planet Tahupraemiku." She then giggled. "Of course, the monsters who enslaved all our sisters didn't take too well to that, but the timely arrival of the Venerable Lady Infinity of Yiziba made them see reason."

Negako smirked. "Most likely, if there will be any response from any of them, it will be delayed until they extract themselves from under their beds. And properly launder all their undergarments after losing control of their bowels and bladders after being forced to stand in the presence of one of 'They Who Must Never Be Named.'" Her voice dripped derision and amusement on saying that often-used term for Yizibajohei.

Kyech and At'at'at' both laughed on hearing that, and then they perked on hearing a very polite "Konnichi wa!" from somewhere behind Negako. That made the grandmaster turn. "Greetings, Asuka. Nako," she called out. "How was your first day of classes at Keppeki?"

"It was very nice," Mizunokōji Asuka said. Like Kagura Nako, she was now dressed in the raven-black seifuku worn by students at Keppeki Girl's Junior High School. "The first time ever I went to an actual school. I passed the entrance test with high marks according to Headmistress Tomohotoke." She then smiled at Nako. "Nako-san did very in her tests as well. We're in the same class."

"Excellent. Does Asuka believe you'll be able to move into the third year come the end of this month with as little difficulty as possible?"

"The Headmistress says that Asuka-chan will need some tutoring in some subjects, but she should be able to catch up very quickly, Negako-sama," Nako said, and then she tilted her head slightly to gaze on the two alien warriors standing by the door. "Oh! Konnichi wa . . . " she said before her eyes locked in on the bony ridges on the two Noukiite free warriors' foreheads. "Ah!" she gasped. "Oh, wow! You're the Lady K'ekhech!" she said as she pointed to Kyech. "What's she doing here, Negako-sama?"

"That can be explained over tea," Negako stated. "They'll be staying in the guest house along with you girls while they're here in Tomobiki; much that I know both Kyech and At'at'at' are prepared to camp out, I know Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi will not allow such a thing." Ignoring the strangled gasp from Kinshō, she waved them down the newly-set stone pathway that led to the front door of the guest house. "Let's go inside and relax ourselves while I prepare the tea. Oh, and Kyech . . . "

"Yes?"

"When Kotatsuneko comes in to stay with you, please do NOT pet him so harshly," Negako said as she gave the Dragonspeaker a knowing look. "I heard your shout and heard his yowls from over five kilometres away. He may be a ghost but he has never met someone blessed with the power of a ch'uokyek before, so DO go easy on him."

Kyech blinked, and then she pouted. "But's he's a pretty kitty . . . "

"Yes, he is quite handsome as mi-ke felines come. And I'm sure he'll be quite appreciative of you. But – as odd as it strikes ME to tell YOU this – you must learn to master your strength, Kyech. You were gentle with Ataru. You can be so here."

A sigh. "Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai . . . "

As they headed off, a frazzle-haired Kinshō moaned . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, class 1-4, that moment . . .

"Well, that's it for today, guys! Let's head home!"

"Amen to that!" Chibi said as the day's cleanup crew moved to put away all their supplies. "Hey, Ataru, what was it you and Mendō were talking about?"

Ataru smirked. "No offense, my friend, but I'd like to keep it a secret for the time being," he said as he winked at the Stormtroopers. "It's a surprise."

Everyone perked. "A surprise? About what?" Shinobu asked.

"Shinobu-chan, if I told you, it wouldn't be a surprise!"

Laughter filled the room as Shinobu gave her former boyfriend a mock look of annoyance. "Well, much that attending classes here has been quite educational – and I deeply thank the Heavens Themselves that we don't have to deal with after-school studies due to the excellence of the staff here . . . " – here, Hiromi gave a glance to Hanawa Mitsu as the math teacher was walking past the front door leading into Class 1-4, her words making the man blush as red as a cherry at that compliment – " . . . we do have to return home and brave our mother. No doubt, she'll be right around the bend now that Kyech-san and At'at'at'-san are going to stay for a while."

"Yeah, having the very woman who threatened to kill you for child abuse come visit would be unnerving," Inu Chigaiko said as she picked up her bag. "Later, all!"

"You okay, Chigaiko-chan?"

She stopped as she looked at Ataru. "I'm fine. Why?"

He shook his head. "Your ki's a little off. You might want to get Onē-san to look at you. Can you come by the house tonight or tomorrow to have her look you over?"

The former basketball team player blinked, and then she smirked. "If you turn it into a night at the karaoke parlour tomorrow, we'll make it a date. I got tickets."

"Deal! Bring someone, will you?"

"I'll call the Amane twins from Taian!"

"Sounds like a date!"

"_**ATARU!**_"

Chigaiko scowled as she glared at Megane. "Button it, four-eyes!" she snapped, which made the leader of the Stormtroopers jerk in fear. "My sister's gang is a million times worse than the Rosebuds could EVER be! Wanna rumble with them?"

Megane gargled as the other woman stormed out of the class. "'Toshi, Hensō's gone and Lum's married. Get over it finally, will ya?" Tariko said as she picked up her bag. "C'mon, guys. Let's head home and see how around the bend Baka Kā-san is."

"Hai!" Hiromi breathed out. "Coming, Onii-san?"

"Hai!"

And with that, the Moroboshi siblings headed out. That left the Stormtroopers, Shinobu and a couple others in the classroom, two of which were Mifune Hideyuki and Inoue Tamako. As the latter moved to pick up her bag and head out, the former took a deep breath and got up from his chair. "See you later, guys!" he called out.

The four men and Ataru's former girlfriend watched him go, and then they blinked. Shinobu then turned to the Stormtroopers. "You don't think . . .?" she hissed.

"He's gonna try something tonight?" Perm asked, also keeping his voice down.

"It'd be stupid," Kakugari warned. "Negako-san's only started to train him."

"Well, if he started using this _Goj__ū__ni Sanji_ stuff on her right away, it would look like he was an even worse letch than Ataru acted before Negako-san got out of his head," Chibi then stated. "He's just probably going to chat with her."

Megane nodded. "Hopefully, Tsukihana-kun'll keep an eye on things."

The others hummed as they nodded . . .

* * *

Somewhere else in Tomobiki . . .

"Thank you for coming so quickly, Kuribayashi-sensei."

The man in the trench coat smiled around his cigarette before taking a deep intake of the soothing tobacco fumes. "When you told me that you'd be willing to pay me _double_ to go back to teach at that place, I was interested," Kuribayashi Sanjurō said before taking another deep pull on his cigarette, which effectively wiped out what little tobacco was still there before the filter. Pulling it out as he exhaled the fumes from his lungs, he then nodded thanks as one of the other men of the Tomobiki Parents Association offered him an ashtray to deposit the butt. "So what's going on?" the substitute teacher then asked as he sat down. "I've seen the news reports. This whole idea of that idiot Moroboshi supposedly being the living host of _Imperial Special Agent Forty-nine_ was pretty shocking, even if it is hard to believe."

"We're not sure as to the truth of such a claim," one of the men there – he was Momoe's father, Marubeya Nobukoto – stated. "But given what my daughter and the others in her class claimed they all saw on Monday after those aliens who supposedly worshipped that Oni were dragged off the planet by the Noukiites, it appears this Negako woman IS a martial arts master of some considerable ability and power. AND she now volunteers her time to teach self-defence at the school." He took a deep breath. "What's worse – again, according to my daughter – Moroboshi Ataru himself has the same capabilities." A shudder ran through him and the other people in the room – Kuribayashi was quick to note that all of them were men – considered what having a Moroboshi Ataru with deadly martial arts skills could spell for the virtues of every girl currently attending Tomobiki High School. "Of course, we can't allow a lecher like that to run out of control at the school, no matter what that old fool principal says about it!"

"He's actually gone on a date with my daughter," Arakida Yui's father Hiroichi added. "It was a SLEEPOVER date, too! I couldn't believe it when my wife told me that poor little Yui-chan actually SLEPT with him, too!" He then shuddered as his eyes began to tear. "What's worse, when I told her to never do it again, she actually vowed that she'd move out of the house if I ever made such a demand of her like that in the future!"

"Steady, Hiroichi!" Gekasawa Kumiko's father Tsuyata said as he reached over to squeeze the other man's shoulder in support. "You have to be strong!"

A moan. "It's hard . . . "

Seeing this, Kuribayashi sighed. "So he's out of control and with Lum-chan gone, there's nothing putting him in place. What about the rich boy and the four fellows who nominated themselves to be Lum-chan's 'Stormtroopers?' What about the Miyake girl, too? They wouldn't allow Moroboshi to run loose like that!"

"The Stormtroopers are broken-hearted over the revelation that 'Lum' was not actually the real Lum in the first place, Sanjurō-san," Yamagata Yasuzō, Masako's father, explained. "Ditto with Mendō. As for Miyake, well . . . " He sighed. "There are two other complications in this whole matter. Moroboshi's so-called 'sisters.'"

Kuribayashi blinked, nonplussed. "What sisters . . .?" he demanded before memory then clicked in. "Oh, those two bioroid girls that were cloned off him, just like the Negako woman." He drew out another cigarette from his pack, and then nodded thanks as Nobukoto pulled out a lighter and flicked it on for him. "So what about them? I can't believe they're being allowed to enter the girls' change rooms even if they are women themselves. If the stories about them are true, the one called Tariko is actually another version of Moroboshi and the one called Hiromi . . . "

"Is a tōshi," Hiroichi stated.

Silence.

"A tōshi, huh . . .?" the substitute teacher breathed out, the disgust in his voice apparent to all around him. "Delinquents, the whole lot of them! Why the hell was that thing even allowed to go there?"

"That's the whole point," Tsuyata – he was the host of this meeting; it was being held in the living room of the Gekasawa home – stated. "Somehow, whatever sob story this Negako woman told our daughters and the others convinced them that Moroboshi was supposedly NOT responsible for all the garbage that's hit this town since the Oni first came back in June. What's worse, the Principal is going along with it, as is Onsen and the rest of the crew in that place, even Sakura. For our daughters' sakes, we need Moroboshi brought under control, Kuribayashi-sensei. You can do it."

A nod, and then the visiting teacher perked as Yasuzō slid over a briefcase. Opening it up, he smiled on seeing the piles of cash – all in 10,000 yen bills – that was in there. "I'll do it," he then said. "When do I start?"

"We'll get you in there by tomorrow," Nobukoto said . . .

* * *

Upstairs . . .

_Oh, gods! Is Baka T__ō__-san out of his mind?_

Gekasawa Kumiko was now trying NOT to throw up.

_If Kuribayashi pulled what he did back in fall on Ataru-kun – or if he tried anything funny with Tariko-chan – Hiromi-chan will kill him on the spot!_ she thought to herself as she drew out her cell phone and flipped it open. _If Negako-san doesn't kill him first! I better get the word out!_

With that, she called up text messaging . . .

* * *

The Moroboshi guest home . . .

"Ataru! Why . . .?"

"Kinshō."

Kinshō turned white on hearing that slightly accented voice.

"Stop doing that to your son," Kyech said in a cold and even voice as she glared at the older woman, who had stormed over to the guest house on noting that her children had come back home from the kitchen, they heading over to the guest house to be with Negako and her guests instead of walking inside to face their mother first. "It is not his fault that he discovered the truth about Hensō and what was happening around her, then moved to protect your planet by divorcing her and using the powers granted to him by the Oni themselves to keep your world safe. **_Now leave!_**" the Dragonspeaker then bade in a booming voice as her eyes glowed.

With a panicked yelp on seeing those burning orbs, Ataru's mother ran out of the house. The people now gathered around the living room table sighed before turning back to their tea. "Why don't you just kill her and be done with it?" At'at'at' demanded.

"Partially because we still care for her and believe she can be reformed, At'at'at'-san," Hiromi stated before sipping her tea. "And partially because – whenever the day comes that we all begin families of our own – none of us really care to face our own children and explain to them why they don't have a grandmother."

"She always runs to me whenever there's a problem she thinks I can fix, then starts moaning and complaining when something goes wrong," Ataru said before sipping his own tea. "She always yells out that I'm her son whenever I do something right . . . then turns around and says 'I wish I never had you' almost right afterward. I really wish she'd make up her mind finally and decide if she loves me or hates me. This half-and-half situation is really getting annoying." Another sip of the tea, and then he perked as something buzzed in his pants. "Wonder who that is," he mused as he reached into his pocket and pull out his cell phone, flipping it open to scan what was now on the screen. A moment later, he started to laugh. "Oh, this is _so_ rich . . .!"

"What is it?" Tariko asked.

"Kuribayashi's coming back," her brother said as he set aside his tea cup, and then typed up a response message to what Gekasawa Kumiko had just sent him. "There's a meeting of some of the dads in the Parents Association over at Kumiko-chan's place right now. They're hiring him to keep me under control, not to mention you and Hiromi."

Tariko snorted before sipping her tea. "_We're_ the ones under control," she then mused. "It's idiots like Ryū-chan's old man that _aren't_."

"Oh, dear!" Hiromi breathed out. "How will that fellow react if he sees Ryūnosuke-san tomorrow in a gakuran in lieu of a seifuku?"

"He will not like that situation and strive to change it."

Eyes locked on Negako. "Who is this man?" Asuka then asked. "He sounds evil!"

"Kuribayashi Sanjurō is a roving substitute teacher that is often hired by local schools to act as a special disciplinary official, Asuka," the ninjutsu grandmaster explained. "He took gross exception to Ataru's refusal to acknowledge Hensō's beliefs concerning their 'relationship' and sought to punish him for it. All out of an understandable yet quite improper physical attraction to Hensō. He did not remain at Tomobiki High long; the general 'abnormality' of the whole situation surrounding Ataru and Hensō proved too much for him to tolerate in the long term." She then paused as she gazed in the general direction of the Gekasawa residence, extending her ki senses out to ascertain what was now happening there. "Interesting. It appears that the men seeking to hire Sanjurō are fearful of their daughters' virtues in the wake of Ataru's date with Yui."

Ataru sighed; much that he was more than pleased to help his female classmates finally get dates with their male classmates by arousing their jealousy to finally make them all forget Hensō, a part of him had been afraid that the parents – especially the fathers! – would react in that manner. "Can't idiots open their eyes and SEE for a change?" he demanded.

"He can be ultimately dealt with, Ataru. Be calm," Negako stated as she turned back to her tea. "There is something else that will most likely happen tomorrow which will provide another distraction from Sanjurō's attempts at disciplining you, much less trying to force his will on Tariko and Hiromi."

"What, Onē-sama?" Hiromi asked.

"To use the Noukiite term, a _chuk'i-techhu_ now resident at the biology laboratory in Tomobiki High School will emerge from her cocoon."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"_**A BUTTERFLY ANGEL?**_" At'at'at' screamed out as Kyech blinked.

A nod. "Quite correct, At'at'at'. As Tomobiki lies on the intersection of TEN separate ley lines, the frontiers between the 'mortal' realm and the various spiritual and mystical realms ajoining it are quite thin and are easily crossed. For instance, the fact that Class 1-4 is often seen as the 'classroom of failure' is truthfully because certain cherry blossom spirits come to the school to do a mystical examination during the spring term; I believe one examination will occur around the vernal equinox."

"Oh, dear! Will we be affected?" Hiromi wondered.

"If you guard yourself, you will not be affected," Negako stated. "But also remember that the young spirits engaged in such examinations are trying to advance themselves in mystical studies. What will matter to you more? Your pride or a spirit's hopes for the future?"

"Well, we'll face it when the day comes," Ataru noted. "But what do we do about the butterfly angel, Onē-san? If I recall what Nap'i told me about them when we were staying at the Academy, there's a really complex ceremony that has to be done to welcome the new angel into the world in her new form. Would that apply here?"

"The one is a butterfly angel, Ataru," Kyech then stated; she had taken a chance to use her own powers to scan Tomobiki High School to "see" what was happening. "Due to the massive change in the life-force flows in and around Tomobiki because of what we did, she did not have the strength to emerge when others of her kind did so elsewhere in Nihon." The Dragonspeaker paused to take a look around as she did a quick scan of the whole of the Home Islands; with her powers, such was as easy as reading a book. "For others of her kind, such happened three days ago in the early morning."

Negako hummed. "Understandable. Keichitsu began that day."

Nako blinked. "Oh, dear! Is there anything I can do, Negako-sama?"

"You have yet to really awaken to your gifts, Nako. Do not fret," the ninjutsu grandmaster stated before gazing at Kyech's companion. "At'at'at', go to your ship and signal Hep'p'yech. We will definitely require Aip' to come here; her spiritual knowledge and openness when dealing with strange phenomena will be of benefit to the young one. She can also ensure anything Hayao and Sakura might do to hinder the young one's transformation will be blunted if not totally stopped. Also have P'yap'ya come as well. With all the cooking materials she can bring on short notice."

Negako's siblings all blinked, surprised that she had said that last comment. "Why P'ya-chan, Onē-san?" Ataru then asked. "I'll eat her cooking any day of the week, but to ask her to drop everything and come here to cook food for us . . . "

"Ataru, do you wish to eat lunch tomorrow?"

Ataru blinked. "The little one is hungry and will require sustenance," Kyech stated. "At'at'at', I'll prepare a list of needed supplies for P'yap'ya."

At'at'at' nodded. "What about Kuribayashi and Ryū-chan?" Tariko asked.

"I will have a seifuku ready for Ryūnosuke," Negako stated.

"And her foolish father?" Hiromi wondered.

"He can amuse Sanjurō."

The others – save a confused Asuka – all laughed . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, Wednesday 10 March, early morning . . .

"Did you hear?"

"Yeah, I heard," Megane said as the Stormtroopers all gathered close to the front gate as the first groups of students arrived to prepare for a new day of classes. "Can't believe that the dads are being such dorks about this! There's no way that Ataru'd date a girl without at least ONE Avalonian chaperone there! Yui wasn't hurt at all on her date! Why the hell are they bringing that old gunslinger here?"

"They weren't there when Negako-san showed us what she – and Ataru – can do these days," Perm stated before he noted someone else arriving. "Well, I'll be . . . "

The others turned . . .

. . . and then they watched as a laughing Inoue Tamako came onto the grounds, escorted there by a smiling Mifune Hideyuki. As the two chatted away with each other, he turned and gave the Stormtroopers a wink of reassurance after Tamako turned to wave to her friends. As they headed off, the four men nodded, a sense of relief coming over them. "He's makin' a score," Kakugari whispered to the others. "Lucky guy."

"You don't call that sort of thing 'lucky,' Hiroyuki," Megane warned.

"Yeah . . . eh?"

The others perked, and then blinked as a ringing noise echoed in the air . . .

. . . as three swirling columns of light appeared on the walkway about three metres away from them. As the other students and staff present paused to watch, the lights melted into three women dressed in typical Noukiite travellers' clothing: two-piece martial arts gi-like uniforms with hooded cloaks wrapped around their upper bodies. The head of the group – she had beamed in closest to the school's front doors – was a tall and VERY shapely woman appearing to be in her early twenties, with light pink hair tied in a high ponytail and extending past her HIPS, hawk-like blue eyes sticking out of a very stern face that was decorated with the normal blooming flowers of her caste and a glittering jewel upon her forehead placed on a mounting shaped like a French fleur-de-lis. To her right was a woman with raven-shaded hair that went to her KNEES and deep, knowledgeable green eyes behind square-frame reading glasses; the Flower Youth tattoos were also on her cheeks. To her left was a more tomboyish woman with slate-grey hair cut off at mid-neck and amethyst eyes full of both wisdom and motherly caring, they also behind reading glasses. Her caste tattoos, however, were golden suns surrounded by dragons in a wreath-like formation; on seeing them, those people who remembered what Negako had said about Noukiite caste markings realised this one was of the Yekhu, the Great Tribe of the Heavenly Dragons, the highest of the Ten Sacred Orders.

"Most Venerable Reverend Lady Techhukkak, Lady Governor Tuongta, Lady Chief Administrator Ekach, welcome to Tomobiki High School," a voice then called out.

The three newcomers perked on hearing that, and then they turned as the Principal stepped out of the school and came up to them. "Lord Schoolmaster, on behalf of my beloved friend and the Most Venerable Reverend Techhukkak, I bid you and all those under your charge Heaven's most sincere blessings this day," the governor of the planetary province of Ke – known throughout the local cluster by the nickname "Rose Dragon of Hichp'u" and to her closest friends by the childhood name "Hep'p'yech" – the Lady Seu-Hech Yesu-Tuong Hechnich'-Tuongta of Hichp'u said as she and her sister of the Flower Youth gave the elderly schoolmaster the proper fist-in-palm salute of their people; the priestess that also came this day raised her left hand as she made a sign of blessing to their host. "We apologise for intruding upon the peace and harmony of your noble institution of learning, but the incredible news the Most Venerable Negako relayed to us via the Lady Ekpuo necessitated our coming here today." She then smiled. "To actually meet an honest-to-goodness _butterfly angel_ . . . " she breathed out before catching herself, and then her hand came up to cover her mouth. "Oh, forgive me, please. I forgot you call them differently here."

"Negako-san explained the whole situation to me this morning; she has already secured the biology lab to ensure the poor spirit in there doesn't get out of control and end up consuming everyone's lunches before she can emerge from her cocoon," the Principal stated. "When exactly is the Lady Kep'uo due here?"

"Within the hour, sir," Hep'p'yech's lover and chief-of-staff – as well as the senior administrator of the Imperial Dominion's primary intelligence-gathering force, the Imperial Central Intelligence Agency, in the Outmarches – the Lady Seu-Na Yesu-Kya Hechnich'-Ekach of Hichp'u (known to her closest friends as "T'yekp'it'") answered. "She will ensure that your honoured guest will have as much food as she requires before she joins her sister angels in their realm beyond this one. Not to mention replace whatever lunches might be taken by the angel from any unaware student or staff."

"Well, it appears her services will be needed quickly," the Principal stated. "By the time Negako-san got here, the whole cafeteria was empty of food. It was fortunate that the Fujinami family were able to eat breakfast, but . . . "

"There is a family living in the school building?" Hep'p'yech's other companion, the Most Venerable Reverend Lady Ye-Uk Yesu-Ip' Hechnich'-Techhukkak of Hichp'u – known as "Aip'" to her closest friends – then asked, surprise crossing her face. "Is that allowed?"

"The Fujinami family were just deprived of their only home on the Kujūkuri Beach to the east of here and were forced to come here to live while they gain enough money to repair their true home and return back, Reverend," the Principal answered.

Almost in an echo of his words, a scream of outrage bellowed from the open doors of the school building. "_**RY**__**Ū**__**NOSUKE! YOU LAZY BOY! HOW DARE YOU EAT OUR . . .?**_"

The muffled sound of a fist smashing hard into someone's chin echoed then as something literally _exploded_ through the roof of the building behind the clock tower as a rough voice – though clearly still feminine to the visiting Noukiites' ears – answered back, "_**OYAJI NO BAKA! DIDN'T YOU HEAR A DAMN WORD NEGAKO-SAN SAID?**_"

"I love the seaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa . . .!" Mr. Fujinami wailed as he vanished into the morning sky, his passage marked by a brief flash of light.

"Ryūnosuke!"

A gargled gasp. "Um, N-n-Negako-san . . .?"

"_Who_ is going to repair the damage you just caused in the roof?" the calm voice of a certain ninjutsu grandmaster then inquired.

A sigh. "Sorry . . .!"

"Remember this the next time you wish to punish your father for his foolishness," Negako then admonished. "Open a window and aim for that."

"Haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaai . . .!"

The visiting Noukiites all blinked. "Who in the Ch'uoeuk's Name is THAT?" Hep'p'yech asked as she gazed on the Principal, pointing to the school.

"The newest member of Ataru-kun's class, Lady Governor. This way, please."

Hep'p'yech, T'yekp'it' and Aip' all nodded . . .

* * *

Minutes later . . .

"Beautiful ladies . . .!"

A wide-eyed Fujinami Ryūnosuke was gaping in total awe at the sight of the very feminine and extremely sexy Hep'p'yech and T'yekp'it' as they and Aip' stood before the closed and warded doorway of the school's biology laboratory, located on the third floor of the interconnecting wing of Tomobiki High two levels about the cafeteria and the Fujinami family's new "apartment," conversing with Negako in rapid-fire Noukiite as they discussed the odd situation of what was going on inside. Also present were the Principal and several students, all of whom were standing nearby watching this. "So what the hell's going on here, Kōchō-sensei?" Megane then asked as people turned to the elderly school administrator. "Why the heck did Negako-san bring these three people here?"

"Our school, ironically, is serving as an outer cocoon for a butterfly spirit – or 'butterfly angel' to use our guests' term for it – now in the biology lab, Satoshi-kun," the Principal answered. "Due to the rather rapid changes in people's lives over the last couple of weeks, the poor unfortunate inside the laboratory now didn't emerge when Keichitsu began Saturday morning like many of her sister spirits did across the nation. However, despite the little one's tardiness, she has gained enough strength to do it now and will no doubt moult, emerge from chrysalis and fly free sometime today."

The students all gaped, and then Perm breathed out. "Damn! It's Ataru!"

"Huh?" Ryūnosuke breathed out. "What about Ataru?"

The tallest of the Stormtroopers jerked, and then he chuckled. "Oh, it's this one caterpillar that's in the biology lab we've got. We nicknamed it 'Ataru' since it just loved to eat and eat; even taking away all the food we tried to feed the other caterpillars in the lab." He then blinked. "Damn! I just thought of something."

"What?" Chibi asked.

"The reason Ataru – the human Ataru – ate so much," Perm said, and then he thumbed Negako, a grin crossing his face. "He was actually eating for _four_ people!"

"Droll, Kōsuke-san," a familiar woman's voice then said as Perm jerked, his skin paling as footfalls heralded the arrival of three of the four people who had – not two months ago – been sharing one brain and body. "Truly droll, indeed."

Perm chuckled. "S-s-sorry, Hiromi-chan . . . "

"Never mind," Hiromi said as she gave him a noticeable "_**I won't forget this**_" look before she turned and smiled as the people beside Negako came over to greet them.

Bows, hugs and kisses were soon exchanged as the Moroboshi siblings began to talk to their just-arrived friends in quite literate Noukiite. By then, the Mendō siblings had arrived. "Eh?" Shūtarō called out. "What is going on here?"

"We got ourselves a butterfly spirit in the biology lab, Mendō," Megane said. "Negako-san asked for the Reverend Techhukkak to come here from Kesei to help it get out of its chrysalis and go to whatever dimension they live in." He waved to the Noukiite priestess in emphasis. "Governor Tuongta and her fiancée came with her."

Shūtarō and Tachiko blinked. "Ah, yes!" the former said with a nod. "Kuohu-san and Kyekkyek-san spoke of Kesei when we were being transported back to Earth from Uru. Governor Tuongta is the 'Rose Dragon' of the Three Princess Dragons of the Outmarches. The 'Terror of the Slot,' the Ipraedies and certain of Lum-san's people call her."

"And she obviously earns her title," Tachiko noted as she gazed on the sheathed straight-blade taiken-shaped sword strapped to Hep'p'yech's waist.

"Naturally, young sister," Hep'p'yech then said in Japanese as she gazed over her shoulder at Tachiko, which made Shūtarō's twin blush as that sultry look pierced her right to the heart. "Given the rudeness of the Ipraedies when they deal with their neighbours, a good thrashing or two every once in a while is necessary."

"You like it too much, Hep'p'yech," Aip' then warned as she gave her friend a knowing look. "There are days that I feel P'yechseu's fears about you will be realised and she will weep over your grave in this life as she did in our first lives."

Hep'p'yech looked chastised as T'yekp'it' giggled. "She's a fighter?" Ryūnosuke asked as she walked over to stand beside the Moroboshi siblings.

"She led the attack on an Ipraedies planet named Barsoom ten years ago," Ataru explained. "The Ipraedies were conducting experiments in creating esper warriors gifted with Vosian tracking powers, all hybrid children born of mothers who were kidnapped from their homes, then forcibly raped and impregnated, Ryū-chan." As some of the people nearby all gasped in shock, Ataru added, "If she hadn't done that, the mothers would've been all executed within the month and the kids moved to a different planet deeper in Ipraedies space to be raised as child slave soldiers."

"Yeah, _**you**_ would seem to know something about that, Moroboshi!"

Ataru blinked, and then he smirked as a fist lashed out at the back of his head. "_**ATARU, LOOK OUT . . .!**_" Ryūnosuke screamed as she moved to pull him clear.

_KK-KRACK!_

A pained scream then nearly deafened everyone else in the corridor as Ataru yawned, clearly not affected by the hit. "Hey, Kuribayashi-sensei. How much did you get paid THIS time to be humiliated?" he wondered, not bothering to look back at the shuddering man that had collapsed to his knees after nearly shattering half of the bones in his right hand on a skull that had been as hard as battleship armour.

Without further adieu, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and walked off to class, whistling all the way. Watching him go, Ryūnosuke blinked, and then she turned to gape at Tariko and Hiromi. "How the hell did he shrug off THAT?"

"The Stone-Body Shield Defence, Ryūnosuke-san," the reborn emperor said as she gave the whimpering Kuribayashi Sanjurō a pitiless look. "You draw in ki from the earth itself to render your skin, bones and underlying muscle tissue as hard as diamond. You practically become unbreakable stone, in other words." She raised her fingers to breathe on her nails. "A perfect deterrent to would-be paedophiles. And other such unworthy creatures that besmirch the honourable profession of teaching by EXISTING!" As Tariko laughed, Hiromi smiled. "Come, my friends. Onē-sama and Aip'-san have most vital business to perform in this place, so let us be out of their way."

The other students all nodded as they streamed off, leaving behind a wide-eyed Kuribayashi, still on the floor nursing a badly wounded hand . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Kanji in Japanese have different types of reading depending on the situation and how the actual characters are used. The basic readings are split into two broad categories. **On'yomi** ("sound reading") is the way the character is read based on how the character was actually said in the original Chinese as translated into Japanese phonetics. **Kun'yomi** ("meaning reading") is the application of native Japanese sounds or word concepts to a character to match up to what it symbolises. The on'yomi reading can be further broken down into specific categories depending on when the kanji in question was introduced from China. Specific types include the **Go-on** ("Wú Sound") readings, based on pronunciations used during the Southern and Northern Dynasties period (420-589 C.E.); the **Kan-on** ("Hàn Sound") readings, based on what was used during the Táng Dynasty (618-907); the **Tō-on** ("Táng Sound") reading, based on what was used during the Sòng (960-1279) and Míng (1368-1644) Dynasties; and the **Kan'yō-on** ("Idiomatic Sound") readings, which are actually mistaken or changed readings that became commonplace across Japan. Another type of kanji reading is the **Nanori** ("Self-Introduction") version, which is exclusively used in Japanese given and family names. There are others.

2) **Kuribayashi Sanjurō** is a minor _Yatsura_ anime character; he appeared in the episode "Oh Lonely Teacher! First Appearance of Kuribayashi-sensei" (anime episode #16-1). I have **_never_** liked this character; he becomes abusive to Ataru all out of the simple fact that Ataru doesn't care to acknowledge any relationship with Lum (especially that early in the series), which was ultimately none of his business, PERIOD! Then again, we all can probably point to teachers who've stepped way over the line when it comes to dealing with students back in our youth, can't we? As to WHY Takahashi-sensei approved of something like this to appear in the _Yatsura_ anime, I personally believe she wanted to point out that sort of thing happening in real life. Given the propensity of stories coming out of Japan about teachers stepping over the line with students . . .!

3) **Keichitsu** is one of the twenty-four "solar terms" on the traditional lunisolar calendar used in Japan and other places in the Orient which mark specific astronomical events or profound natural phenomenon. In this case – the period itself begins on or around the fifth or sixth of March and lasts for about fifteen days – the day is the average time that insects begin to come out of hibernation (hence, the name, which means "Awakening of Insects" and uses the kanji 驚蟄). In China, this day is called **Jīngzhé**. In Korea, the day is addressed as **Kyŏngch'ip**. In Vietnam, it is known as **Kinh Trập**.

4) **Hichp'u** was the southeast of the Noukiite Tri-Kingdoms. It is the analogue of **Shilla** in Korea and **Dōng Wú** in China. It's traditional territory was the eastern and northern sides of the southern continent and its capital city was **Yekna** (an analogue of the southern Korean city of **Kyŏngju**, where I worked from 1998-2003 as an English teacher). Likewise, **Eap'ye** was the northern of the Tri-Kingdoms; its analogue was **Koguryŏ** in Korea and **Cáo Wèi** in China. Eap'ye had control of the whole northern continent.

5) **Nap'i** (real name: **Seu-Noup' Yech'a-P'yuk Hechnich'-Ekt'yek**) is based on the _Koihime Musō_ version of Shokatsuryō Kōmei (childhood name "Shuri"); she is current a student at the Okusei Academy and is close friends with both Lum and Benten. **Hep'p'yech** (real name: **Seu-Hech Yesu-Tuong Hechnich'-Tuongta**) is based on the _KM_ version of Sonsaku Hakufu (childhood name "Sheren"). The planet she governs, **Kesei** (or Tsumetaru as the Urusians address it as), was not introduced in _The Senior Year_, but would be located on the Zephyrite side of the "Slot" (the corridor connecting Toshitto in Urusian space to Earth-Neptune bordering Ipraedies space) half-way between Earth and Toshitto. **T'yekp'it'** (real name: **Seu-Na Yesu-Kya Hechnich'-Ekach**) is based on the _KM_ version of Shūyu Kōkin ("Meirin"). Like in _KM_ between Meirin and Sheren, T'yekp'it' and Hep'p'yech are lovers; in real-life, the original Sūn Cè (Sonsaku) and Zhōu Yú (Shūyu) were oath-brothers and later brothers-in-law (they married the Qiáo sisters, whose real names are unknown to this day). **Aip'** (real name: **Ye-Uk Yesu-Ip' Hechnich'-Techhukkak**) is based loosely on the _KM_ version of Ukitsu (who was a man in that series); the style-name given to her literally means "She Who Corresponds with Heaven" and was given to her when she was posthumously adopted into the Flower Youth. **P'yap'ya** was introduced in Part 5. And **P'yechseu** (real name: **Seu-Hech Yech'a-Aech Hecnnich'-Nakt'e**), Hep'p'yech's younger sister, is based on the _KM_ version of Sonken Chūbō (childhood name "Renfa") . . . who, in her first life, took her sister's place on her death and became the first Empress of Hichp'u (and now serves as Deputy Governor of Kesei).

6) The **Ten Sacred Orders** are the ten super-castes that divide Noukiites socially. In Noukiite beliefs, all are born at the lowest caste in their first life, then are reincarnated through the other castes until achieving enough spiritual karma (**up't'u** in Noukiite) to be granted the **Final Judgement** by the Ch'uoeuk and allowed to ascend to Heaven. In order, they are:

**Yekhu** (Tribe of the Heavenly Dragons) – High priests and priestesses (caste name prefix _Ye-_)  
**K'et'hu** (Tribe of the Wandering Tigers) – Missionary priests and priestesses (caste name prefix _K'e-_)**  
Eip'hu** (Tribe of the Noble Pachyderms) – Royalty (caste name prefix _Ei-_)**  
Eyukhu** (Tribe of the Silent Felines) – Teachers, guardians, soldiers (caste name prefix _Eyu-_)**  
K'uot'hu** (Tribe of the Healing Serpents) – Healers (caste name prefix _K'u-_)**  
T'up'hu** (Tribe of the Stoic Equines) – Farmers and other food-related trades (caste name prefix _T'u-_)**  
Huhat'hu** (Tribe of the Urban Ursines) – Urban dwellers, merchants and entertainment-related trades (caste name prefix _Hu-_)**  
Aekhahu** (Tribe of the Chattering Primates) – Politicians and civil servants (caste name prefix _Ae-_)**  
Naihu** (Tribe of the Loyal Rodents) – Home servants (caste name prefix _Na-_)**  
Uohu** (Tribe of the Scavenger Dogs) – The "unclean" trades (caste name prefix _Uo-_)

As noted before, the **Seup'uk** (Flower Youth) are seen as a special sub-caste of the _Eyukhu_. They are granted the right to make use of their own caste name prefix, _Seu-__._

While the standard progression throughout the reincarnations normally goes from Uohu to Yekhu and then unto Heaven, it is seen as possible on Noukiite to "leap" past certain reincarnations if the total amount of one's _up't'u_ gained in a lifetime would warrant such; thus, it is possible for one judged as _Yekhu_ by a compitent priest to be born from _Uohu_ parents. This "ultimate spiritual equal opportunity for advancement" ensures that while there are social divisions between members of the Ten Orders, there is little if no actual persecution against the _Uohu_ (for example) as Japan's _burakumin_ (the "village people" who did similar trades in the Tokugawa era) have often been discriminated against.

7) The attack on the planet Barsoom that Ataru spoke of alludes to the _TSY_ story "Enter Space-Hybrid Hazel" and the Ipraedies' Project: Superwarrior; in the reality of this story, the hybrids like Hazel and Yukio were rescued by the Noukiites and resettled on Kesei.


	13. Ship of the Future & Airbats of Irumi

Class 1-4, homeroom period . . .

"So due to the fact that they need to fumigate the biology laboratory today, you'll have a study hall in lieu of biology class in second period this morning," Hanawa Mitsu stated as he gazed on everyone. "Just in case something happens and your lunches get spoiled by the insecticide that's being used today, a special caterer will be here to provide lunch." A sigh. "So have a good day and keep smiling, everyone!"

"Hai!" many of the people in class chimed back.

With that, their homeroom teacher/math teacher headed out as the bell heralding the small break before English class rang. After he went, Ataru shook his head. "Man, is he EVER going to clue into the fact that we have aliens in this town?"

"Oh, leave the man his innocence, Onii-san," Hiromi scolded as she gazed on him, making many in the class all laugh. "He's a proficient teacher in his chosen subject and he cares for his students. His idiosyncrasies are minor and harmless."

"Good point, Hiromi-chan," Shinobu said. "Besides, could you imagine what could happen if he actually DID wake up to what was going on around him?"

"True," Tariko trilled out, and then she perked. "Ah . . .!"

"So where's the butterfly angel?"

Heads snapped to the doorway . . .

. . . as a tomboyish Noukiite woman with shaggy evergreen hair and caramel brown eyes walked into the room. A member of the Flower Youth like Hep'p'yech and T'yekp'it', she wore travellers' clothing in tans and greys, a thick hair band tied in a pretty bow on her forehead. She also had a rather large cargo pack slung over a shoulder. On seeing her, Ataru whooped in delight as he bolted out of his seat. "P'ya-chan!" he called out as he did a triple-flip in mid-air to land in front of the new arrival, sweeping her up into his arms as he delivered a warm kiss to her lips.

"_**MOROBOSHI! HOW DARE YOU ATTACK THIS POOR . . .?**_"

"_**SH**__**Ū**__**TAR**__**Ō**__**-SAN! YOU ARE NOT ONII-SAN'S MOTHER! BE SILENT!**_"

A presently red-faced Mendō Shūtarō dropped back into his chair as many of the girls and all of the other boys laughed. "Really, Onii-sama! You should stop trying to embarrass yourself!" Tachiko scolded as she stared at her brother. "It's clearly obvious Ataru-san and our guest are very close friends! Stop being so judgmental!"

"H-h-hai . . . "

By then, Ataru and the just-arrived free warrior now resident on Kaisei had pulled apart. "I should've taken you for myself when Kyech let you go," Seu-Nech Yesu-Kai Hechnich'-Kep'uo of Eap'ye – "P'yap'ya" to all her closest friends – then said as she straightened herself, giving him a very sultry look. "I would've made sure you would be happy and well away from that loud-mouthed demon you call a mother."

"I doubt I could survive as a simple waiter in your restaurant in Kai City, P'ya-chan. Even if the food is always good and nutritious," he noted before clearing his throat, remembering where he was. "Ah, forgive me, everyone!" he said as he gazed on the others in the room. "May I present the lady who's going to make sure my butterfly spirit 'namesake' is going to be nice and well-fed before she breaks free of her chrysalis and goes to where pretty butterfly spirits all go." After giving Perm a knowing look, he then walked to the blackboard, picking up a piece of chalk to sketch out her name in Noukiite letters, then writing the transliteration in katakana and Roman script. "May I present the prettiest and strongest warrior of old Eap'ye, the Sacred True Bone Lady Seu-Nech Yesu-Kai Hechnich'-Kep'uo. P'yap'ya to her friends."

A bow and a fist-in-palm salute. "Heaven's most sincere blessings on you all."

"Yoroshiku!" all the students chanted back as they bowed their heads to her.

"_**HEY! YOU! STOP RIGHT THERE!**_"

The class all tensed on hearing that familiar and rather unwelcome voice. "Oh, shit!" Megane breathed out. "Here he comes. Get ready to duck, people."

Many of the others in class groaned in agreement, and then they perked on hearing another familiar voice call back, "What's wrong, Sensei?"

"Ryūnosuke-san?" Hiromi called out.

People gazed to the open front door as Ryūnosuke came inside, followed by an angry Kuribayashi Sanjurō. In fact, the latter looked ready to blow a gasket as he gazed up and down the former's body, taking immediate note of her current mode of dress. As Ataru returned to his seat, an amused smirk on his face, the substitute teacher pointed at the newest member of Class 1-4. "What the hell is a GIRL doing wearing a BOY'S uniform?" he snapped. "Why the hell aren't you in a seifuku?"

"'Cause Oyaji's an idiot who can't tell the difference between a guy and a girl . . . and he's too damn cheap to buy me a seifuku, Sensei," Ryūnosuke said as she moved to take her seat. "The other teachers don't mind it since Oyaji's got the right to say what sort of uniform I'd be wearin' due to the new school rules, but . . . "

"_**STOP RIGHT THERE!**_"

The tomboy jerked as she stared in confusion at Kuribayashi; she was about to sit down when he shouted out. "You are going to get yourself into a proper GIRL'S uniform right now, young lady!" the teacher snarled. "I don't give a damn WHAT your idiot father said! You're a GIRL; it's as damned obvious as those breasts under your jacket!" As many of the other girls in the class all gasped in shock at his blatant words, Kuribayashi pointed to the doorway. "Now march yourself down to the nurse's station and get Sakura-sensei or Chikamatsu-sensei to get you a proper seifuku . . . "

"There is no need to berate Ryūnosuke for something that was ultimately beyond her control, Sanjurō," a familiar toneless voice then announced as a woman in solid black then stepped into the room, a winter seifuku for Tomobiki High on a hangar slung over her arm. "Ryūnosuke, come with me. You can change clothes in my office."

Silence fell as the beach café tomboy stared in shock at the symbol of something she had been vainly grasping for years to gain, about to be literally HANDED to her on a virtual silver platter by a woman who seemed to care more for her and was willing to help her in more ways than any other person Fujinami Ryûnosuke had ever met. She then blinked as Negako gave her a knowing look, and then she flustered. "S-s-sorry about th-that, Negako-san! 'Scuse me for a moment, Sensei!" With a bow to Kuribayashi, she quickly moved to depart the classroom, a noticeable spring in her stride.

"_**STOP RIGHT THERE!**_"

Ryūnosuke stopped. "WHAT?"

"What the hell are you doing addressing someone – even if this person IS a supposed relative of that letch Moroboshi – without calling her 'Sensei' . . .?"

_KRACK!_

"Speak of the Most Venerable's family with the respect they deserve, you loud-mouthed _ch'ek-uo_!" P'yap'ya snapped after slapping the back of the substitute teacher's head, which – given that she was almost as strong as Kyech – sent him flying face-first into the floor! "Who in the Ch'uoeuk's Name declared _**you**_ to be a teacher?"

As a pained moan escaped Kuribayashi – the blow had been nearly sharp and hard enough to wreck his nose and knock some teeth out of his skull – Negako smiled as she turned to walk away. "P'yap'ya, there are new rules concerning smoking in the school building. It is totally forbidden. DO make sure Sanjurō does not break them; it will not do to have him violate the wishes of the Tomobiki Parents Association."

A nod. "It will be as you say, Most Venerable."

"Excellent. Ryūnosuke, come with me."

And with that, both people walked out of the room. Silence then fell for a moment, and then Ataru leaned over to gaze on the dazed teacher laid out on the floor. "You might want to make sure he doesn't bleed on the floor, P'ya-chan. The guys who have to mop the floor in class clean-up tonight wouldn't want to clean that up."

The free warrior and chef of Kaisei blinked, and then she nodded. "A good point. Besides, his shouting was annoying me. Teachers should be held to higher standards since they're entrusted with the education of the young." And with that, she grabbed him by the back of his belt, yanked him up, and then walked over to one of the windows, opening it to toss the still-dazed Kuribayashi out onto the front lawn. "So what period do you people have to do at this time?" she then wondered.

All the people in the class laughed . . .

* * *

Nearby . . .

"Damn! The whole fuckin' school's a huge ki pit!"

Relaxing himself atop a rather tall cherry tree that had begun to blossom in the wake of the final fading of winter weather from the Kantō plain, Futoshi Itsuku gazed intently at the rustic old school building some three hundred metres away. Of course, given that this particular school was perhaps the most famous – or infamous – hall of secondary education in all of Japan if not the whole of Earth, it was quite easy for the visitor from the city of Mito in Ibaraki Prefecture to pick out all the familiar details. The clock tower where the "world oil theft" incident of mid-July the previous year – and the scene where the first confrontation between the people of Tomobiki and the Ellsians just before Christmas – had happened, located atop the west wing of the school. The old willow tree at the northwest corner, said to be possessed by a very cantankerous kami who gladly unleashed all sorts of vengeance on anyone who dared carve anything on it. The extra-wide front gate, made that way to allow Leopard II tanks of the Mendō Panzer Division open access to the school grounds. And the general wear-and-tear in the woodwork indicating that even if the spirit of the school was unbelievably strong, there was no really active maintenance done to ensure things never fell apart.

_Then again, it's a public school, not a private one like Y__ō__sh__ū_, the young sophomore fighter then mused as he crossed his arms, narrowing his eyes as he focused his own ki senses on the people now inside the building to see . . .

His eyes then widened. "What the FUCK . . .?"

* * *

Class 1-4, first period . . .

"Hey, Ryū-chan! Looking good!"

Hearing that, Ryūnosuke's cheeks turned beet red as she found herself the subject of nearly three dozen eyes gazing at her. Laughing for a moment to shake off her embarrassment at being looked at like that by her classmates, the beach café tomboy then shrugged. "Well, it's actually more comfortable than I thought . . .!"

"_**RY**__**Ū**__**NOSUKE!**_"

She winced on hearing that outraged shriek, and then she turned . . .

. . . before ducking a punch that had been aimed at the back of her head! "_**HOW DARE YOU CROSS-DRESS, YOU IDIOT **_**BOY**_**?**_" a sobbing Mr. Fujinami wailed as his "son" easily dodged around his other fist as he tried to snare her new uniform and rip it off. "_**YOU TAKE THAT OFF AND PUT ON A PROPER **_**BOY**_**'S UNIFORM, YOU STUPID . . .!**_"

_KK-KRACK!_

"That's enough."

Everyone else in the class – even the Moroboshi siblings – all sucked in their breaths on hearing that deceptively calm voice from the lone Noukiite in the room.

"I do not know if you are truly the fool of fools in this place or just an arrogant boor who cares not what sort of tortures he wishes to unleash on a defenceless _girl_!" P'yap'ya hissed as her hand began to squeeze HARD against Mr. Fujinami's left wrist, which made the old fisherman start to cry out as he began to realise _this_ strange alien girl with the odd-coloured hair and the bony ridges on her forehead was NOT just a normal girl but something akin to a monster. "Now, it has been decreed in this school that GIRLS wear skirts and BOYS wear slacks. Your child is a GIRL, therefore to PROPERLY confirm to the school's rules, she will wear a skirt . . .!"

"Now, see here, young lady . . . YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH!"

"You were not granted permission to speak back, child abuser," P'yap'ya coldly declared as people around them began to hear the ominous wet popping sound of bones being expertly dislocated. "Now you will conform to the wishes of your peers or you will be sent henceforth to face the Ch'uoeuk at the Pool of Reincarnation and be judged for your scandalous and disgusting behaviour concerning your only DAUGHTER . . .!"

"_**I HAVE A **_**SON**_** . . .!**_"

_KK-KRACK!_

"_**AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH . . .!**_"

"_**DO NOT SPEAK BACK, FOOL!**_"

"P'yap'ya."

P'yap'ya jerked on hearing that, and then she turned to see Kyech standing at the doorway to the classroom. "What is it, Kyech?" the former demanded.

"You are disturbing the _keuo_ of the school," the Dragonspeaker calmly stated as she pointed up. "The butterfly angel will be affected by your actions."

"So what should I do about THIS child abuser?"

Kyech hummed. "Make him go for a swim."

P'yap'ya blinked, and then she smirked. "I can do that!"

* * *

Nearby . . .

_**KK-KRACK!**_

"I love the seaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa . . .!"

Itsuku blinked as he watched who he believed was none other than Fujinami Fujimi himself literally tossed into the sky by some chick with green hair from near the main doors. "What the hell did that old fool do now?" he wondered . . .

* * *

Outside the biology lab . . .

"I cannot BELIEVE you didn't tell ME about this first! Why in the name of the gods didn't you ask for MY assistance in dealing with this creature . . .?"

"Sakura."

Sakurambō Sakura stopped, jolting in shock on hearing that toneless voice.

"Do you deem yourself an expert in butterfly fairies?" Negako wondered.

The nurse/shrine maiden blinked several times, and then she shuddered. "No."

"Then why should I waste all our time, potentially engager an innocent newborn's existence and cause unnecessary complications for the students and staff at the school by engaging in such an ultimately useless act?" the ninjutsu grandmaster asked.

Sakura jolted, outrage flashing in her eyes, and then she leaned over to glare intently into the other woman's almost black eyes. "Are YOU an expert?" she snarled.

"No, I am not. That is why Aip' is here."

Sakura waved to the Noukiite priestess, who was now kneeling before the closed door of the biology lab as she chanted a long series of laments in a very old dialect of her native language, making various motions with her hands. "She's an ALIEN!"

"How observant of you. However, Aip' follows the Noukiite version of Taoism, which is an open and accepting faith that has welcomed even outworlders amongst their ranks within and beyond the borders of the Imperial Dominion," Negako explained as several teachers standing nearby – including Chikamatsu Fusae and Onsen Mark – tried not to laugh too much at how much Sakura was becoming flustered at being literally cut out of this event. "In Ch'eye, all sentient beings – including those sentients that would normally be addressed as 'angels' – are to be treated with equality and respect to ensure the true harmony of the Dào. Aip' has lived TWO lives – and in her first life, she was effectively MARTYRED – for her strong faith in those very beliefs. Thus she is – in my eyes – far more qualified to deal with the spirit currently inside the biology laboratory than either yourself or your uncle, who gladly and frequently violate the tenets of your beliefs to seek self-gratification. So be silent and allow Aip' to perform her work. This should not take longer than necessary."

Sakura jolted as she felt the urge to snap back at this being – a being that she had been taught from early childhood by her mother and her uncle to fear and ward against – for her own many human frailties. But despite her objection to Ataru's snap decision to follow Kyech from Onishuto to Okusei over two months before to allow the accursed "Sacred" Promise of Bunka Go-nen to be fulfilled at last, she had to begrudgingly admit these days that allowing the _Saik__ō__ Jinseijutsu_ the full freedom of her own body without a host soul of its own HAD been the right thing to do.

And while she still felt resentment concerning Moroboshi Ataru and his many past actions towards her since the day they had first met – even if she had to ultimately accept what Negako herself confessed she had manipulated her final host to do over the previous decade – Sakura was still worried about the state of the poor man's soul. Something truly AWFUL had happened to him during those eight weeks he was on Okusei and helping with the liberation of the Avalonians. Something that – if what she herself heard from the visiting Noukiite soldiers the previous week was even HALF-true! – was causing a slowly bubbling cauldron of darkness and death to fester deep within Ataru's heart. Something that just needed the right sort of trigger to unleash it . . .

. . . and lead to VERY dark days ahead for all who associated with him.

And despite all they had gone through over the last eight months since he had stumbled onto a very sick priestess when he had been trying to run away from home, Sakura definitely did NOT want that to happen to Ataru. The man had been cursed enough all his life to allow such darkness to consume all he had strove to build for himself, especially in the last two months. While his decision concerning Hensō HAD been correct in the long term – Sakura herself had mind-melded with Lum to learn the awful truth of the curse she had been subjected to as a baby – the nurse/shrine maiden still believed that the Avalonian-born Oni was the best thing to truly happen to him.

But convince _**Ataru**_ of that . . .?

_All those who normally would have influence on his life have been either shoved aside or have been cowed into submission_, Sakura had concluded the day Ataru had come back to school with his sisters at his side. _His parents don't realise that whatever parental authority they feel they have over him could be swept away with just the right word to the Son of Heaven or those who serve him, then handed without objection to Negako! With Hiromi now the Matriarch of the Moroboshi Clan, anything Muchi or Kinsh__ō__ do now will be ignored and they will literally be left in the dust even if his wanting to ignore everything and her greed and stupidity don't force the issue. Ataru never really cared for me or Uncle in the first place, so anything we say to him is useless. Whatever friendship Ataru had with Megane and his friends is in name only. Shinobu won't do anything now to threaten her friendship with him since she's learned the truth of what Negako made Ataru do. And given that Shinobu's coming closer to Tariko in the wake of Mend__ō__ being engaged, she won't do anything to lose any ties to her childhood friends. Hiromi is supportive of Ataru's desires and will gladly smash down anyone who dares threaten her 'Onii-san's' ultimate happiness. Tariko is just trying to make some sense of her life. And Negako really doesn't care at all about whatever consequences allowing Ataru such free reign over his future will ultimately unleash . . .!_

"There."

Sakura jolted, and then she turned as Aip' took a deep breath. "What news?" Hep'p'yech asked as she walked over to help the priestess to her feet.

"The young angel was scared of the changes that befell this place over the last while, old friend," Aip' explained. "In naming her current form 'Ataru,' those who study in this room did much more to the young angel than just reflect on Ataru's considerable appetite. They inspired her to become as stealthy as he – when Negako was still within his brain – could be. Given how much he had changed during his time with Kyech and us, she barely recognised him, thus didn't allow herself to hatch when all her kin across the isles of Nihon did four days previous."

"So what did you do?" the Principal asked.

"I showed the young angel what happened to Ataru when he was on Okusei. How he had earned the favour of the Sky Lord Nengmek'i to allow him to fulfill the Promise of the Fifth Year of Bunka to grant him a sister in Negako . . . and by extension, two more sisters in Hiromi and Tariko." Aip' then smiled. "She is quite pleased to have 'aunts' as well as a 'papa.' I think that as soon as P'yap'ya gets her _kengmuo_ readied to prepare the birthing feast, the young angel will be quite happy to partake."

T'yekp'it' bowed her head. "I'll inform P'yap'ya to have the feast prepared."

"Ensure she prepares non-spiced foods, T'yekp'it'."

The chief administrator/senior intelligence officer smirked as she gazed in amusement at Negako. "She certainly can understand THAT, Most Venerable."

Negako sighed as the raven-haired Noukiite walked off . . .

* * *

Class 1-4, second period . . .

"Oh, man . . . that smells GOOD!"

Ataru chuckled. "Better enjoy it while it lasts, guy," he said as he picked his way through his biology textbook. "P'ya-chan's not really much of a traveller, so this may be the ONLY time you'll get the chance to sample her cooking unless you travel to Kaisei to visit her restaurant in Kai City." He gave Mifune Hideyuki a sympathetic look. "Like I said earlier, she'll keep you well-fed . . . but if you want to really enjoy it full-time, you have to WORK for it." He turned back to his book. "And I just wouldn't last in a place like that. How she can do that day after day . . . "

"No wonder you never wanted to get married, Ataru-kun," Shinobu noted; she was helping Ryūnosuke study. "You're just not fit for the home life."

"Of course not. Look what it did to Baka Tō-san and Baka Kā-san!"

Some of the others laughed, and then they jerked on hearing, "_**MOROBOSHI!**_"

Ataru sighed . . .

. . . as his hand snapped up to intercept the tossed chalk sent at his head. Before Kuribayashi could realise that his latest attempt at punishing the younger man had failed, Ataru stood up and snapped a side pitch with the chalk right at the substitute teacher's body. It slammed into a point under the older man's left pectoral muscle, right at the shiatsu point that was the optimal strike area for the Heart Blast Touch attack. The teacher jolted as his mind registered the impact . . . and then he gargled as a tsunami of pure PAIN surged up from his heart to drive him to his knees. As he tried to grasp his chest in a futile attempt at stopping what seemed to be some sort of heart attack, the door slid open to reveal Kyech. The Dragonspeaker walked over to grab Kuribayashi by the throat – which made him start to choke – and then she carried him out of the room. A couple minutes later, she walked out the front door, pausing to smile at P'yap'ya, who was hard at work in her traditional mobile kitchen. She then turned Kuribayashi around to gaze into his wide eyes.

"You are causing a disturbance and hurting the butterfly angel. Leave."

And with that, she flicked her wrist to toss him away . . .

. . . thus sending the screaming Kuribayashi flying off to the east.

As her ears picked up the laughter from Class 1-4 on seeing the substitute teacher once more brought down low, the Dragonspeaker walked over to gaze at the pretty chef/free warrior from Kaisei doing her work. P'yap'ya didn't react; while she did test her strength against Kyech every chance she got, the needs of a certain butterfly spirit came first today and Tomobiki as a whole had endured enough destruction while Hensō and her friends had been living here to tolerate one of their mountain-shattering "practice bouts." "He used a lethal attack on that fellow," P'yap'ya noted.

"I know. When he falls to the ground, Sanjurō will be shaken out of it," Kyech stated with a nod. "Then again, it is to be expected. How did YOU react when you killed for the first time? In our past lives or this one?"

The chef frowned. "They'll have to learn one way or another."

"True."

And with that, Kyech went back into school . . .

* * *

Somewhere in Nerima . . .

"Oh, damn . . .!"

While his heart wasn't burning with pain anymore, the rest of his body ached.

Which was understandable.

Smashing head-first into the concrete fence surrounding Fūrinkan High School at terminal velocity from several hundred metres up would do that to anyone.

And Kuribayashi Sanjurō wasn't a martial artist.

Like . . .

_Damn! What did that letch DO to me?_ the substitute teacher wondered as he tried to extract himself from the hole his body had made in the outer wall of the school. _He hit me with the chalk I tried to hit him with . . . and then . . .!_

"Hey, you!"

Hearing that voice with its weird mix of Japanese and Hawai'ian accents, Kuribayashi blinked, and then he groaned. "Oh, hell . . . " he spat out before turning to look up into the face of a total loon who was principal of his own school.

A school Kuribayashi had vowed NEVER to work in again.

"What are you doin' breaking the wall of the Big Kahuna's school?" Kunō Godai asked as he held up one of his special barber shears.

Kuribayashi moaned . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, morning recess . . .

"Ah! Look, everyone! Ryūnosuke-san's in a seifuku?"

"Eh? Ryūnosuke-chan's in a seifuku? Where? Where?"

"There! There!"

As she felt the eyes of many people staring at her, Ryūnosuke tried not to blush too much as she made her way down to the cafeteria alongside some of the other girls in her class. "Damn!" she breathed out as several wolf whistles – she knew what THOSE meant – echoed from some of the men around her. "I never thought girl's clothes would make guys react like THAT!" she then complained as she gazed on Shinobu.

"Get used to it," Ataru's former girlfriend stated. "If you want to be a girl both on the outside and the inside, you're going to sooner or later have to deal with boys. Unless you're like Rumiko-chan here," she said as she nodded to Tsuruya Rumiko.

"Hey!" Class 1-4's only true lesbian student snapped.

"What about her?" Ryūnosuke asked.

"You know about gays and lesbians?" Marubeya Momoe wondered.

Confusion. "What're they?"

The girls all moaned save for Rumiko, who had a contemplative look on her face. "She's going to have to learn sooner or later," Gekasawa Kumiko warned. "If she's an Avalonian now, she's going to sooner or later experience the 'time of the month.'"

"What? Menstruation?" Ryūnosuke asked, inwardly smirking on noting several boys passing by jerk on hearing that word. _Guys can be such wimps at times!_

"No, it's a slang phrase used by Avalonians to identify the time when a certain urge comes up in their heart on meeting a special someone they believe is the right sort of person to spend the rest of their lives with," Hiromi explained as they walked into the cafeteria, which was in the midst of getting restocked as the small staff there moved to load new food into the freezer units. "Traditionally in old Sagussan society, such an occurrence came up with someone of the same sex. But then again, that was normal as Sagussans were a bisexual species from the very beginning."

The confusion increased. "'Bisexual?'"

"It means that those such as you and I would find any person attractive, Ryūnosuke-san, regardless if the person is a man or a woman," the reborn emperor said as they came up to the vending machines and moved to get themselves something to drink; unlike the cafeteria, these machines had not been touched by the butterfly spirit now in the biology lab. "Do you at least understand _that_ sort of thing?"

A snort. "No choice," the tomboy answered. "Oyaji – whenever he could get some money to splurge on us – always loved to drag me into the red light district in Chōshi to check out all the hookers there." As many of the other girls all gasped in horror on hearing that, Ryūnosuke smirked. "But then again, the girls working the streets and the soaplands there knew right away what I was. It was one of them who taught me everything about menstruation and made sure I had tampons when I went through menarche." She then paused after making a selection to get some ice coffee. "Wait!" she then gasped. "You mean it's possible for folks like us to actually have sex with another _woman_?" she demanded as she gazed wide-eyed at Hiromi. "That's wrong!"

"Who told you that?" Rumiko then asked, fighting down the urge to slap her classmate in the back of the head for such a homophobic comment. "Your dad?"

"Yeah!"

"And your dullard father's track record on being right about things?" Hiromi wondered as she scooped up the ice coffee Ryūnosuke had selected.

Silence.

"Not good," the tomboy then admitted, nodding thanks as the reborn emperor gave her the coffee she had wanted. "So it's NATURAL for Avalonians?"

"As breathing," Hiromi admitted. "Rumiko-san!"

Rumiko blinked. "What?"

"I believe a demonstration is required."

Some of the other girls giggled as a knowing look crossed Rumiko's face. "Well, if you insist, Hiromi-chan! But we're going on a date one day and I'm going to ravage that body of yours and make you scream to the heavens."

"I actually look forward to such a chance, my dear," Hiromi slyly said back.

Rumiko awked on being called out like that, and then she smirked before reaching over. Ryūnosuke, who didn't see it come, blinked as her classmate grabbed her by the back of the neck, then turn her head around . . . and then she gasped before Rumiko's lips gently touched hers. On seeing that, several boys passing by in the hallway beside the cafeteria then whooped in delight on seeing two cute girls kiss. One of them then heckled, "Hey, Rumiko-chan! Don't spoil the girl! Save her for us!"

Rumiko pulled away from a dazed Ryūnosuke to blow the heckler a raspberry. The other girls all laughed as the boys headed off, and then turned to look on their new classmate to gauge her reaction. After a moment, Ryūnosuke sighed. "Damn . . .!"

"I'll need a chance to work on this one, Hiromi-chan," Rumiko then warned.

"Try not to hurt her too much, Rumiko-san," Hiromi advised. "Despite his clear mental deficiencies, Ryūnosuke-san's father does strike me as somewhat traditional. It wouldn't surprise me in the long term that he's arranged for an iinazuke for our new friend down the road. And if said iinazuke's father is like Ryūnosuke-san's . . . "

The other girls all looked shocked. "A guy raised as a girl?" Momoe then demanded before shaking her head. "Oh, gods! That WOULD make sense!"

* * *

Out in the Sagami Sea, near Fujisawa . . .

"AH-CHOO!"

"Bless you, Nagisa-chan!"

A moan. "Oh! What made me sneeze like that?" Shiowatari Nagisa wondered . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, third period . . .

"A slumber party?"

"Sure!" Momoe said. "Given that our stupid fathers got together to bring back that moron Kuribayashi to try to punish Ataru-kun – and by extension you and Tariko-chan – for things none of you were really responsible for, what better way to stick it back to them than actually doing a slumber party with you and Tariko-chan!"

Hiromi hummed as she considered that, and then she sipped her own can of ice tea. "Well, we could do that. In doing that, I can take the chance to introduce you all to what two new friends of ours went out to create for all of Earth."

"Oh, the _Haida_, you mean!" Shinobu said before laughing. "That would be okay!"

"'_Haida_?'" Momoe asked, confused.

"It's a starship," Megane explained. "As big if not bigger than the starship Lum-san's dad commands; the one that appeared in the sky over Tomobiki during the Tag Race. Two of the people kidnapped by the Ipraedies over the last ten years managed to find this abandoned starship construction base built by the same people who built the Avalon bioroid factory. Since they heard about the Urusians' plans to invade Earth, they got the construction base to build fifty starships for Earth to use." A chuckle. "They only got them done a couple weeks ago, then met Hiromi-chan, Tariko and Ataru after they freed the Avalonians." As jaws dropped and eyes bugged out on hearing that, he added, "Right now, the United Nations has to decide what to do with them."

"They've already made a decision," Hiromi announced.

"What is that?" Mendō wondered.

"The ships – which we named in tribute to the fifty largest nations population-wise on the planet – will be taken into commission in the armed forces of those nations in question, but operate under a United Nations agency tentatively to be called the 'United Nations Earth Defence Force,'" the reborn emperor stated. "With the space docks and factory satellites that the Avalonians seized from the Niphentaxians, it will be quite easy to maintain such ships – and build new ones – without putting any sort of strain on Earth's resource base. With the Noukiites and the Yizibajohei – with the Yehisrites only a hyperspace call away – keeping a watch on the system, anyone who might object to our having such technology will hopefully be kept at bay."

"The South Koreans have already started," Tariko noted.

People perked. Unseen by many, a flash of shock crossed Inoue Tamako's face. "The Koreans?" Kakugari asked. "Why would they want to be involved?"

"According to world population statistics, the Republic of Korea by itself is the twenty-sixth most populous nation on the planet with over forty-eight million people, Hiroyuki-san," Hiromi explained. "Add the population controlled by the rogue government calling itself the 'Democratic People's Republic of Korea' – which, by itself, is ranked forty-eighth on that list of countries – to that, the Koreans number over seventy-two million people in their most beautiful homeland, which would rank such a nation at nineteenth place where they were under one government in lieu of two." As people nodded in understanding, she added, "We named the ship representing the Koreans after Kim Ku, the most noble independence activist who killed Tsuchida Jōsuke in his quest to avenge the disgusting murder of the Myŏngsŏng Empress of Chosŏn by agents of the Meiji Emperor in 1895." A smile. "We used the good fellow's pen name, _Paekb__ŏ__m_. And his namesake ship will soon be properly commissioned as the Republic of Korea Starship _Paekb__ŏ__m_."

"Holy shit!" Koi Shinjin gasped. "With THAT, the North Koreans would be stupid to try to do anything against the south." He, much less most of the people of the class, didn't see Tamako's face pale on hearing that. "Anything like that fight off Yŏnp'yŏng-do . . . " – like Tamako and many others in the class, he took Korean as his second language elective, so he could pronounce the island's name correctly – " . . . back in 2002, much less all the times they've gone across the DMZ would be stopped in its tracks!"

"While I personally wouldn't condone the use of the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ to settle a local dispute, I cannot disagree with your feelings, Shinjin-san," Hiromi stated. "And yes, the _worthies_ . . . " – people were quick to sense the touch of derision in her voice on saying that word – " . . . in P'yŏng'yang DO need to learn a harsh lesson or two when it comes to dealing with the outside world. They cannot demand, demand and demand of other nations without showing civilised behaviour in return. Hence, that is the reason those Avalonians who DO want to live in the north won't go there."

Jaws dropped. "Holy shit! Are you saying that Avalonians WANT to go to NORTH KOREA of all places?" Megane demanded. "Why? That place is a dump!"

"But is it the fault of the 'workers' and 'peasants,' Satoshi-san?"

He blinked. "Good point . . . "

"Excuse me."

People turned . . .

. . . and then quickly stood up as the Principal walked into the room. He was accompanied by a middle-aged man in casual civilians. The fact that said fellow was military was quite evident by his baseball cap, which was dark blue and had a gold **182** written on it, with the words **J.D.S. MIRAI** in gold atop it and **YOKOSUKA** underneath it. On seeing that, Mendō gasped before he pointed. "That's Captain Umezu of the _Mirai_!"

People in the class gasped on hearing that, and then they all bowed politely to the visiting Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces officer. "Dōmo," Umezu Saburō said as he doffed his cap to them, bowing his head in return. He then replaced his cap before turning to walk over to Hiromi. As people watched, the famous captain of Japan's first ever temporal- and dimensional-travel accident stopped before the reborn emperor. Straightening himself to attention, he then saluted her.

"United Nations Earth Defence Force Director Moroboshi," he formally stated, which made the others in the class gasp in shock on hearing that title being given to the reborn emperor, "Umezu Saburō, captain of the Maritime Self-Defence Forces of Japan, commanding officer-designate of the Japanese Starship _Yamato_, reporting for duty."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Umezu-taisa," Hiromi said as she gave him the classical fist-in-palm salute of old China. "That the government of this ancient land has chosen a worthy officer such as _**you**_ to command _Yamato_ fills my heart with great joy." She then relaxed herself. "We were planning to have a slumber party tonight aboard the _Haida_ this evening. But I believe switching it around to allow you and your subordinates the chance to tour _Yamato_ and meet those currently manning her would be a better way to spend the evening. Would you not agree, my friends?" she then asked as she gazed on her classmates.

A wild whoop answered . . .

* * *

Lunchtime . . .

"Eh? A butterfly fairy?"

"Hai," Hiromi said as people finished moving around the desks so they could relax with their friends and enjoy their lunch. Saburō had been joined by then by his former senior staff from the _Mirai_: executive officer Kadomatsu Yōsuke, combat officer Kikuchi Masayuki, navigator Oguri Kōhei, chief medical officer Momoi Sachiko and air detachment chief Satake Mamoru, all of whom would be re-assigned to similar posts on the _Yamato_. "As you'll all know, Keichitsu began on Saturday, but due to the massive changes in everyone's lives thanks to what the Noukiites helped uncover last week, the poor innocent was not able to gather enough spiritual power by then to break free of her cocoon and proceed to whatever realm bordering ours that those such as she normally inhabit. Hopefully, with the assistance of P'yap'ya-san now working at her mobile kitchen outside, that will happen today."

"Hard to believe that," the gruff Mamoru stated as Tariko finished pouring the ceremonial sake that Masayuki had brought in to celebrate the decision to make the _Yamato_ an element of the Maritime Self-Defence Forces even though all parts of Japan's defence forces would contribute to the crewing of the ship. "Then again, what the hell am I talkin' about?" he asked. "I once flew our Seagull and landed right on the quarterdeck of the battleship _Yamato_ when we were in that other dimension and back in time to 1942!" As the people in the room – cups had been given to the other people in the class so they could share in the toast – all gasped on hearing that, the pilot then chuckled. "It'd be weird trying to land a tilt-rotor on a _starship_!"

"Are there fighter pilots from the Air Self-Defence Forces volunteering to form the _Yamato_'s air wing?" Hiromi then wondered as Tariko took her seat.

"Hai, starting with the 801st Tactical Training Squadron from Iruma. Now to be redesignated the 801st 'Airbats' Space Tactical Fighter Squadron," Saburō stated. "I know the commanding officer of the unit, Colonel Konishi Mitsuru. He'll be made the _Yamato_'s Air Group Commander once the 24th Space Wing is formed."

Ataru blinked. "What about Satake-taii?" he asked. "What happens to him?"

"I'm not trained as a fast-air fighter pilot, so I'll probably command the crews flying those four Star Flare warp shuttles you've got stowed on the upper hangar deck," Mamoru said, smiling in gratitude for his new civilian boss' brother showing concern for his own career. "I saw the specs for those ships that your friends passed on to the United Nations. They may not be as sexy as a Starfire space fighter, but the Star Flare can be armed and can take the fight out to millions of kilometres away from the _Yamato_ if required."

"Don't you want to fly fighters, Lieutenant?" Shinobu asked.

"Nah, I never really could stand the high-Gs that people like Haneda and Mitaka, two of the Airbats' chief pilots, could do. That's why I trained on tilt-rotors before I got assigned to the _Mirai_ for our rather interesting 'vacation.'" As the other _Mirai_ veterans all ruefully chuckled on remembering that voyage, he added, "Besides, Haneda and Mitaka are two of the best jet jockeys we've got in the Self-Defence Forces. Believe me, I'd want people like them on the Starfires watching everyone's backs."

"Why, thank you for that positive review, Lieutenant!"

People turned . . .

. . . as several people in civilian clothes – but wearing baseball caps with the black bat insignia of the 801st Squadron – came into the room. The leader of the group, a tall and bearish man with beard and moustache plus the stylish Ray-Bans that fighter pilots normally loved to wear, saluted Hiromi, who returned his greetings with her own salute. "Director Moroboshi, Konishi Mitsuru, colonel of the Air Self-Defence Forces of Japan, commanding officer-designate 24th Space Wing, reporting for duty with senior staff, formerly of the 801st Tactical Training Squadron, 1st Air Wing, Iruma Air Base."

Hiromi smiled. "Onē-san, some sake for our guests."

"Hai," Tariko chanted.

Cups were instantly handed out to the newly-arrived officers: the 801st's deputy commanding officer Saginomiya Sakura, A Flight commander Mitaka Arisa, B Flight commander Haneda Miyuki, C Flight commander Shimorenjaku Yōko (with her beloved black fruit bat, Chi-chan) and squadron maintenance officer Isurugi Takuya. Once the sake was poured, Hiromi then gazed on Saburō. The new captain of the _Yamato_ stood up, and then hoisted his glass. "To the Japanese Starship _Yamato_ and the 24th Space Wing of the Air Self-Defence Forces. May our own giant leap for mankind give all of Earth and all of Avalon peace, reason and harmony."

"To the _Yamato_! Kampai!" Yōsuke barked out.

"To the 24th Wing! Kampai!" Takuya echoed.

"KAMPAI!" everyone cheered before they drank.

Once the sake had been consumed, everyone relaxed. "I must apologise for the fact that we don't have any extra food for you people; we didn't expect you to come and a rather ravenous butterfly spirit has eaten all the cafeteria food," Hiromi then apologised as people moved to get out their lunches. "If you wish, I could . . .!"

"_**HEY! WHERE'S MY LUNCH?**_"

Heads snapped over to Chibi. "What's wrong, 'Kira?" Tariko demanded as she walked over, and then she blinked. "Holy shit . . .!" she breathed out on seeing mere crumbs inside the bentō box that the smallest of the Stormtroopers had brought to school today.

"Hey! My lunch is gone, too!" Kumiko cried out.

"So's mine!" Rumiko stated.

"_**WAIT!**_"

People stared at Ataru. "What is it?" Saburō demanded.

His eyes narrow, the Terran tag champion turned and pointed to his desk, where his own bentō was located. "She's right there," he announced . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Noukiite terms: **Keuo** – "harmony," the local version of the Japanese concept of _wa_; **Ch'ek-uo** – "dung heap dog," the lowest insult Noukiites use towards others (in Noukiite cosmology, the dog [_uo_], which is somewhat akin to a hyena on Earth, is the dirtiest and most despised animal as it is a scavenger and incapable of providing for itself); **Ch'eye** – "Church of the Way," the term used to describe Noukiite Taoism; **Kengmuo** – "platform house," the Noukiite version of a yatai.

2) **Kunō Godai** is the name I give to the Principal of Fūrinkan High School; it has been used in several _Ranma_ fanfics over the years. This would be before he would take off on his latest sabbatical to Hawai'i. At this time, Tendō Nabiki and Kunō Tatewaki are in their first year of classes; Tendō Akane is still in middle school and Saotome Ranma has yet to even come to Nerima with his father.

3) **Shiowatari Nagisa** and her father (whom I give the name **Shiowatari Shin**) first appeared in the _Yatsura_ manga storyline "Nagisa's Fiancée" (manga episodes #339-340).

4) The **Myŏngsŏng Empress of Chosŏn** (1851-95), sometimes referred to as "Queen Min" (whose real name is unknown but believed to be **Min Chayŏng**) was a tragic figure in late nineteenth-century Korean history. As a living symbol of the anti-Japanese sentiment growing in Korea during the years before the 1910 annexation, she was targeted by agents of the Japanese government for elimination, which happened on the night of 10 October 1895 in Kyŏngbok Palace in modern-day Sŏul. **Kim Ku**, as Hiromi stated in the text above, was part of the **Tonghak Nongmin Undong** (Tonghak Peasant Movement) that formed in the wake of the Empress' murder to fight for Korean freedom.

5) **Yŏnp'yŏng-do** is an island group located in the Yellow Sea (_Hwanghae_) off the southern coast of _Hwanghaenam-do_ (**South Hwanghae Province**) in North Korea and about 80 kilometres due west of the **Metropolitan City of Inch'ŏn** (_Inch'ŏn-gwang'yŏkshi_) which it administratively is a part of. Since the sea border between the two Koreas has never been agreed to in treaty, the seas around the islands (as well as **Paengnyŏng-do** and **Taech'ŏng-do**) are disputed. The islands themselves were made part of the territory of South Korea in the Armistice of 1953 that ended the Korean War.

6) Translation: **Taisa** – Army colonel, Navy captain or Air Force group captain (NATO rank code OF-5, U.S. armed forces pay grade O-6).

7) The characters of _Aozora Shōjotai_ (literally "Blue Sky Girl's Squad"), known in North America under the title _801st T.T.S. Airbats_, appeared in a manga series created by Shimizu Toshimitsu (the man who also created the short manga series _Maico 2010_) that was later released as a seven-episode OVA series in the early 1990s.


	14. Ataru Gets A Daughter

Tōkyō, Shinjuku Ward, New Japan Radio headquarters . . .

"And that's another day for me, Matsudamasu Maiko! Tune in tomorrow for another wonderful day in the heart of Japan's music capital!"

"And . . . cut! Cue in end music!"

With that, the lovely twenty-something girl in the stylish jean vest, button blouse and jean skirt over cowboy boots smiled as she slipped over her headset, then rose from her chair in the broadcast booth on the twenty-fourth floor of the office complex where the Tōkyō station of one of Japan's minor nation-wide broadcasters was located. Shaking her ponytailed wavy pink hair, Maiko took a deep breath as one of the technicians handed her a can of ice tea. "Arigatō, Ume-san," she said as her caramel brown eyes sparkled with delight as she gazed on the tall and muscular soundman. "You have a good day."

Ume Ken stared at her, and then he smiled as he nodded; he normally didn't waste time and energy talking, especially when work had to be done. Having worked at NJR-FM Tōkyō for over a year since she graduated from university with a degree in public broadcasting, Maiko had yet to get the tall fellow to open up. Then again, he was always silent to everyone else, even Akai Yuriko (the DJ for the evening show and the granddaughter of NJR's primary owner, Akai Sōchin), Ōgata Ryōko (the afternoon DJ), Takamori Izumi (the production assistant for all of NJR Tōkyō's live shows) or Matsuan Narita (the director of operations for NJR Tōkyō). As he headed off to continue work, Maiko could only smile as she waved at him, and then she took a deep breath as she moved to head to her personal change room to get into more comfortable clothes – she still was often baffled by the idea of "dressing up" for a RADIO show! – and allow herself to mentally prepare for a wonderful rest of the day out with her lover at their shared apartment in one of Shinjuku's quieter neighbourhoods.

As she exchanged greetings with Ryōko, Maiko tried not to smile a little too much as she felt certain programs in her gynoid body key in as images of a sultry raven-haired tomboy with dark chestnut eyes flashed through her central processors. _Rie . . .!_ she thought to herself as she felt her panties start to moisten, and then she concentrated herself as she make her sexual programming shut down. Much that she loved to perform her primary function as a "sexdroid" (Maiko's term for what she became shortly after she had graduated from university) with the woman – herself a gynoid from a planet named Zeiwan – who had ultimately saved her life, Maiko also had a career she loved, friends she cared for and a desire to have as much a normal life as possible.

_Thank the gods that Rie-chan came up with those capping programs we all could use so we don't end up being enslaved to some abusive bastard like the one that probably turned Conna-chan into the monster she eventually became_, Maiko mused as she walked into her private dressing room and locked the door behind her before she moved to disrobe. _Much that I'm getting more sex now than I ever did in university, being actually _slaved_ to someone for the rest of my existence doesn't sit well with me! Or the others . . .!_

"Hey!"

Maiko gasped, and then she turned before she fired the smiling dusky-skinned British woman seated nearby, dressed in her normal "teaching clothes" of a skirt, sleeveless turtleneck sweater and high-heeled pumps. "Helena!" she snapped before she moved to take off her clothes. "How did you get in here anyway?"

"A little showing of the nipples goes very far in this nation, Maiko-chan," Helena Adams mused as she concentrated, allowing her own considerable bust – _Western girls are _so_ lucky!_ Maiko had thought to herself the first time she had met the very well-endowed native of Birmingham a month before the accident that had changed both their lives – to better show itself under her sweater. "Besides, I tutor the son of one of the security guards here and when I told him you and I were friends, he let me right in." She relaxed herself, both figuratively and literally. "Maiko . . . "

"What is it?"

"Has Rie made her decision yet?"

Maiko paused, and then she sighed. "About approaching the Avalonians?"

A nod from the tall, raven-haired, hazel-eyed beauty – Helena could trace her ancestry to one of the prominent royal families on the Indian subcontinent – seated in the room as Maiko stripped to her panties, then moved to break out a track suit with her old university logo on it. Smiling on seeing the damp spot right between her friend's legs, Helena breathed out. "You know it's logical in the end run, Maiko-chan," she said in her normally accent-less Japanese; becoming a gynoid herself had done wonders for her language skills, which helped her out when she tutored willing students at a night school nearby. "I don't think I'll ever turn away from Cass . . . and I know how tight you and Rie-chan are. Avalonians are naturally bisexual and they're literally _programmed_ in their very genes to seek out a compatible person as a bond-mate should one make herself or himself known. This would help your sister, too, not to mention the others." Matsudamasu Yoiko, Maiko's older sister by four years, was currently working as part of a computer security firm based in Shinjuku, using her new powers to better help private customers across Japan keep safe from the many threats the Internet could present them. She – atop eight other girls outside Maiko, Helena and her Spanish-American lover Cassandra Valdez – had all been in the same accident that had been, in part, caused by the gynoid now calling herself "Tanaka Rie."

Of course, none of the girls native to Earth blamed Rie for what had happened to them, of course. Her ship had been destroyed when Rie – then living under the name "Riena" and working as a special operative of the Zeiwanite planetary police – pursued her insane sister Conna from the territory of the United Republic to the frontier of the Imperial Dominion of Noukiios, Earth's closest galactic neighbours. Conna – who had been pressing for a total revolt of Zeiwan's vast population of artificial intelligences against their organic masters since the day she became fully self-aware over three decades (Earth-time) ago – used a virus to attack the life support mechanisms in her sister's ship and eventually kill almost all of Riena's organic co-workers, then set that ship to self-destruct to cover her own escape. Riena had been saved by her last surviving friend, who sacrificed himself to see her safely rocketed to Earth . . . only to land _literally_ on top of a van carrying the Matsudamasu sisters and their friends back from an all-night party at the Tōshichi Onsen in Akita Prefecture! The only true survivor of that incident was the van's driver, Matsuo Densuke, who currently worked as Yoiko's personal assistant and was lovers with – though thankfully not a "master" to, courtesy of Rie! – Watanabe Yuki, one of Maiko's university peers who now worked as an office lady for Marubishi and Company.

Maiko sighed. "I know. I want to be human again, too," she admitted as she finished slipping on her tracksuit. "But Rie was BORN as a sexdroid, Helena. Even if she wouldn't mind if we went back to being organic again – she has a pretty good idea how the Avalonians' powers work and how they can clone us new bodies with just a DNA sample – I'm still really uncomfortable of transforming into something that she might feel threatened by. I don't want to do that to her."

Helena smiled. "I don't want to hurt her either, Maiko. She's a lovely lass and I can tell she loves you something fierce. Don't be so cautious, though. I think once you show her how happy you'd be being organic again – and make it clear to her that you would become even happier if she became organic – she'll do it."

A begrudging nod. "Maybe . . . " she breathed out. "Let's go."

With that, they stepped out of the room. Soon enough, they were on the ground floor of the NJR tower, heading for the staff entrance so they could get to Maiko's car and head off. As they stepped off the elevator, both women were quick to see the crowd now gathering by the main doors and picture windows at the front of the building, all of them gazing outside and chatting excitedly about something. "What on Earth's going on?" Maiko asked as she moved to walk up to a security guard. "Excuse me, Sanada-san. Is there something going on outside?" she asked.

The guard turned, and then he grinned on recognising the newest of NJR's popular lady disc-jockeys. "Hai, Maiko-chan! There's like a whole SEA of butterflies in the air around the building!" He pointed to one of the windows. "They just started showing up about a half-hour ago, right before your show ended. And they're just hovering out there! Go look!"

Maiko looked . . .

. . . and then she gaped on seeing a massive sea of black and orange-brown in the air over the front driveway of the building. "Wow . . .!" she breathed out.

By then, Helena had come up to stand beside her. "Is that normal here?"

Maiko shook her head. "I don't think so," she admitted before sighing. "Let's go out the back."

The other woman nodded. Soon enough, both girls were stepping out into the open air. "That is so strange," Maiko then stated as they made their way over to her car, a red Nissan Cedric Y31. "I know this is the season for insects to come out, but . . . "

"MAIKO!"

Maiko jolted, and then she turned . . .

. . . before gasping as a massive cloud of fluttering wings made their way around the NJR building to approach her and Helena. "Hey!" the radio DJ gasped as they moved to hover around her. "What the heck . . .?" she began as several got close to her. "I'm not a flower! Shoo! Shoo! I have to go home!" she said as she moved to gently wave her hand to make the insects back off. "Please, go away . . . "

_**Go to the Gathering Place of Friends, young minstrel . . .!**_

Maiko gasped. "Eh?"

"Maiko, did you hear that?" Helena gasped.

_**Go to the Gathering Place of Friends, young minstrel . . .!**_

"They're talking to us!" Maiko blurted out, and then she blinked. "'Gathering Place of Friends' . . .?" she quoted before gazing on the largest group of insects hovering close to her. "Why? Why must I go to this Gathering Place?"

_**The Earth Angel, the Emperor of the Hàn, the Avatar of the Harbinger of All Endings and the Soul-Queen of the Fifth Generation of Sen'a will all help you be once more of flesh-and-blood, young minstrel. Not just fo**__**r yourself and your friend descent of the ancient land of Bhārat, but your beloved sister and all the others the metal lady knight of the Two Great Lands saved near the springs of Tōshichi a spring ago . . .!**_

Helena blinked. "The Earth Angel . . . the Emperor of the Hàn . . .?"

"That's a tōshi!"

Helena gazed on Maiko. "You mean those crazy fighters . . .?"

A nod. "Hai! They just mentioned four people living together . . . " Maiko's eyes then went wide. "'Gathering Place of Friends' . . . " she repeated as her mind quickly drew up two kanji symbols and flashed them through her central processors.

"Tomobiki!"

* * *

Tomobiki High School, Class 1-4, that moment . . .

"But . . . how did the butterfly spirit get in your bentō, Ataru-kun?"

Ataru sighed. "I don't know, Shinobu-chan," he said as everyone in the classroom gazed on the box on his desk. "Onē-san's pretty good in making all sorts of ki wards to keep things protected from harm, but given how crazy this place is . . . "

"No doubt, all the disruptions caused by Kuribayashi and Ryūnosuke-san's foolish father might have weakened them enough to allow the poor spirit to escape, believing it was under threat," Hiromi then stated. "Even with all her knowledge . . . "

"Sadly, young Hiromi, this is MY fault."

Heads snapped over . . .

"_**CHERRY?**_" everyone gasped.

A VERY embarrassed Sakurambō Hayao tried to shield his blushing face from the people glaring at him with his straw hat. "Forgive me, Hiromi," the aged monk said as he came in to stand close to the reborn emperor. "I wasn't alerted to the true nature of the spirit now in Ataru's bentō box until I got a chance to speak to my niece. From what I could sense from my encampment, it was a truly powerful spirit. I feared the worst was about to befall you all, so I came here right away and tried to approach it through the biology lab windows. When I saw the ki wards, I broke many of them down . . . and regretfully, it fled from me before I could catch it."

As many of the people in the class moaned, Hiromi sighed. "Venerable, PLEASE! Next time you sense something like that, ASK first before doing something like that!" she scolded as she gave Cherry an annoyed look. "Your experience and wisdom are quite proficient, but there are things you have NEVER encountered before! Onē-sama has! I know you don't really care for her, but she IS loyal to us out of a sense of giri! And she is forever loyal to the Imperial Throne! Surely you can't question THAT!"

"Hai . . . "

Many of the students in the classroom turned to stare wide-eyed at Hiromi, surprised that the reborn emperor had been so gentle when it came to dealing with an annoying pest – as they saw it – like Cherry. "Well, even if it was done without malice, we still have this thing inside Ataru-kun's bentō box," Mitaka Arisa then asked. "And by the sounds of it, it's already feasted on everyone's lunch. How soon until it turns into . . .?"

A popping noise made people's heads snap back to Ataru's desk as the bentō box's lid flew off, revealing a caterpillar which was now about the size of a normal man's fist. "Holy shit!" Konishi Mitsuru exclaimed. "Look at the size of that damn thing!"

"Never thought I'd ever see a caterpillar THAT big!" Momoi Sachiko breathed out.

"Damn!" Inu Chigaiko gasped. "No wonder you named that thing after Ataru-kun, Perm! If that thing could eat ALL our lunches and just grow only THAT big . . .!"

"What's it going to do?" Inoue Tamako demanded.

"Everyone."

People jolted on hearing that calm, icy voice, and then they turned . . .

"Onē-san!" Ataru called out.

Negako tried not to smirk too much as she walked over to stand beside him, staring down at the creature inside her brother's bentō box. "She's almost there," the grandmaster then declared before she sighed. "Tachiko," she called out.

Mendō Tachiko perked. "H-h-hai, Negako-sama?"

"Kindly restrain Shūtarō," Negako calmly ordered, making everyone turned to stare at a now white-faced Mendō Shūtarō, who was now staring at the rather large – and quite UGLY! – caterpillar in his rival's bentō box, sweat and tears pouring down his face. "If he gives in to the beginning stages of cacophobia that he is demonstrating now and tries to attack the butterfly spirit before she can complete her transformation, Kyech will be most cross."

Shūtarō gargled. "Ugly . . .!" he gasped out as his eyes locked on the beast not two metres from his chair. "Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly! Ugly . . .!"

_KRACK!_

"He's restrained," Fujinami Ryūnosuke said after she had driven her elbow right into Mendō's skull, knocking him out. "Sorry about that, man."

"Well done, Ryūnosuke. Keep watch on him in case he has another incident," Negako said. "Ataru, take the box with our rather ravenous butterfly spirit. I do believe P'yap'ya can start serving the feast she has prepared for her."

"Gentlemen!" Umezu Saburō then said as he gazed on his subordinates. "Form a circle around Ataru-kun and Negako-san. Make sure they get outside unharmed."

"HAI!" the male ex-_Mirai_ officers said as they snapped to attention.

"Go with them, girls!" Mitsuru ordered.

"HAI!" the female pilots of the Airbats barked as one . . .

* * *

A moment later, a small procession walked out of Class 1-4, heading for the main doors. By then, a certain Noukiite priestess had come down from the upper floor after she had dismantled all the ki wards Negako had assembled to keep the butterfly spirit in the biology lab from getting out. "Oh, THERE she is!" Aip' hissed out as she walked over to peer intently at the slowly-moving caterpillar in the box Ataru was carrying. "She's almost at the point when she'll start forming the chrysalis for the final transformation. Let's get her outside; she'll need all the food she can consume."

"After eating nearly forty people's bentō boxes?" Sachiko demanded.

Aip' smiled at the _Yamato_'s future chief medical officer. "Lady Healer Sachiko, while angels as a whole are always beneficial if they're shown the proper respect, they are ALSO known for their ravenous appetites when they reach the time when they must evolve to a higher state of being! Don't worry; P'yap'ya's done this before."

"But what about all the kids who lost their lunches?" Kikuchi Masayuki asked.

"Relax, Commander," Ataru said. "P'yap'ya's cooked for an entire INFANTRY DIVISION at a single setting! And _Noukiite_ infantry divisions number SIXTY-FOUR THOUSAND PEOPLE _EACH_! Cooking for a single high school's nothing to her."

By then, they had reached the front doors and were stepping outside. Standing by her mobile kitchen, P'yap'ya perked on seeing the small crowd emerge from the school building, and then she smiled. "I assume it's almost time, Reverend."

"Indeed it is, Lady Kep'uo," Aip' called back. "She needs food!"

"Coming right up!"

With that, the green-haired Noukiite free warrior reached into one large oven to draw out a cooking tray – one the size of the cargo compartment of the average Japanese pick-up truck, everyone noticed! – full of fresh vegetables, a mixture of Terran and Noukiite fare. Mixed with them were cut pieces of sweet fruit, the smell of which made all the Terrans now approaching her – save Negako, of course – nearly start drooling in anticipation. "Oh, gods! What smells so damned good?" Oguri Kōhei asked.

"That's _k'yep'hueu_, Commander," Ataru explained as he placed the bentō box on a table next to the mobile kitchen, and then stepped back as everyone watched as P'yap'ya put the fruit-and-vegetables tray down before it, using two tables set out to the sides to support it. "Noukiite sun apples. Best source of natural sugar you can find on the planet. If you got a sweet tooth, eating that stuff'll turn you totally off chocolate for the rest of your life."

"Turn off chocolate? Impossible!" Shimorenjaku Yōko exclaimed.

"Care to wager on that, Yōko-chan?" Saginomiya Sakura wondered.

Everyone gave the 801st Squadron's deputy commanding officer wary looks. "With all respect, Major, NO ONE bets against you!" Kadomatsu Yōsuke stated.

As all the other officers laughed and Sakura flustered – her ability to win at betting was legendary throughout all military personnel, both Japanese and American, based across Kantō – people then watched as the caterpillar crawled out of Ataru's bentō box and began to nibble at the leafy vegetables there. Watching this, everyone was quick to note how fast the little one was going despite the sheer volume of food P'yap'ya had prepared for her. "Damn! Normal caterpillars NEVER move that quick!" Sachiko exclaimed. "Is THIS what we're going to have to deal with?"

"If it is of a non-Terran origin, that is a clear possibility, Momoi-sensei," Hiromi then stated as she came up, flanked by Saburō and Mitsuru. Many of the other members of Class 1-4, along with the Principal and several staff members, followed them over to join the crowd. "Threats will not always come from a 'conventional' source such as another planet's military forces. After all, the Niphentaxians who had come to this city in the wake of Hensō-san moving here were all civilian volunteers, seen as pilgrims of their so-called 'one true faith.' Very much like the radical fighters allied to al-Qā'idah." She then sighed. "We will have to open our minds and allow our imaginations to fly free to prepare for what is out there, Sensei. As the good and noble Lieutenant Neil Armstrong so eloquently said it on the Mare Tranquillitatis forty-one years ago, we are now ALL making a giant leap for mankind. Where our feet finally fall is ultimately unknown to us all, so let's not allow our own misconceptions to blind us so early in the game."

"Wise point," the new captain of the _Yamato_ said, and then he smiled as the caterpillar began eating the sun fruit slices. "My, she's hungry, isn't she?"

"She is an angel, Lord Captain," Aip' stated, making Saburō blush by her calling him by the title "Lord" before his rank. "Given all their powers as gifted to them by the Lord of Heaven when He created the Universe, they also gained quite large appetites along the way." She then hummed. "I think it's starting . . . "

"Yeah, her ki's shifting big time," Ataru noted.

"The skin's starting to crystallise," Isurugi Takuya noted, pointing.

"A chrysalis!" Haneda Miyuki breathed out.

"Reverend, how long do you think this'll take?" Perm wondered.

Aip' hummed, and then she looked up. "Very soon, I believe."

People blinked on noting where she was looking, and then they looked up . . .

"Butterflies!" Marubeya Momoe exclaimed.

"Holy . . .!" Satake Mamoru breathed out as the massive clouds of insects began to descend onto the front lawn of Tomobiki High School. "This would be one real target-rich environment for any predator who liked butterflies." He then blinked. "Like . . .!" he gasped before his head snapped over to Yōko . . .

. . . who was giggling as Kyech fed Chi-chan some thin slices of fruit. "Do not be concerned, Mamoru," the Dragonspeaker stated as several butterflies landed on her head and shoulders. "Chi-yu is a fruit bat. Butterflies don't interest him."

"Chi-CHAN!" Yōko snapped.

"That's what I said," the Dragonspeaker stated. "Chi-yu."

"Chi-CHAN!"

"Yōko, '-yu' is the Noukiite version of '-chan,'" Negako stated.

Yōko jerked, and then she giggled. "Sorry . . .!"

"Hey! Look!"

People jerked on hearing Perm's shout, and then they turned . . .

. . . as the caterpillar seemed to freeze for a moment as her whole skin turned to pure glass-like crystal, and then the body began to glow before the skin broke . . .

. . . thus allowing very beautiful butterfly wings to emerge.

"Beautiful . . .!" Sachiko breathed out . . .

. . . as a tiny humanoid form floated away from the remnants of her old body, stiffening wings fluttering instantly as she seemed to look around for a moment, and then she turned to flutter close to Ataru. "Papa . . . " she said in a very quiet voice that seemed to tinkle with tiny chimes. "Papa . . . arigatō . . . "

Ataru blinked. "Why are you thanking me?" he asked as the crowd watching this all hushed and Aip' began whispering a benediction to the Lord of Heaven to bestow His Blessings upon the young butterfly angel that just emerged.

"Because you were strong even with your sisters inside you . . . " the fairy said as she smiled at him, her dark eyes glistening with mirth. "You never stopped believing you would fly free of those who would clip your wings . . . and that made me want to be like you . . . " She then smiled as many butterflies fluttered around her, which made all the girls watching this squeal in delight and all the guys gape in disbelief. "Don't let them clip your wings, Papa . . . the Immortal Phoenix needs you . . . "

Ataru blinked. "'Immortal Phoenix' . . .?"

The fairy impishly smiled. "You'll see," she promised. "I have to go."

"Do not be a stranger, Imo."

She turned to stare at an amused Negako, and then she fluttered close to her. "To have the Earth Angel herself as my aunt . . . " she said, and then she smiled. "Please help the minstrel of the New Lodge, Auntie. She needs you."

"Be assured, Imo, she will be helped," Negako vowed, ignoring the chorus of confused looks from the people around her.

Imo smiled, and then she fluttered into the sky, many butterflies soaring off after her. Watching her, Saburō blinked, and then he barked out, "Gentlemen!"

The former crew of the _Mirai_ perked on hearing their captain call out, and then they reached up and doffed their baseball caps to the departing butterfly fairy, waving the caps as if they would waved their uniform caps when departing with the _Mirai_ from Yokosuka harbour. The officers of the 801st Squadron were doing the same thing with their baseball caps. Around them, many of the students were chanting banzai cheers and waving as the massed butterflies vanished into the early afternoon sky over their school. Finally, the noise died down, and then Ataru sighed. "Never let them clip your wings . . . " he mused aloud before perked. "Um, Onē-san?"

"Yes?"

"'Imo?'"

Negako gave him a knowing look. "Look to your own heart, Ataru."

With that, the grandmaster headed to the school building. "She knows you far better than you know yourself, Onii-san," Hiromi stated as she squeezed his shoulder.

A sigh. "Yeah, you're right . . . " He then cleared his throat. "P'ya-chan!"

"Yes?" P'yap'ya called back as she wiped her eyes from the tears she had shed on seeing the pretty angel ascend to the heavens.

Ataru shrugged. "Well, even if Imo-chan didn't eat as much as we prepared for in the first place, a whole bunch of people still had their lunches taken away! What say we all show them what a Noukiite spring picnic is all about?"

"Are you helping with the trays?"

He snapped to attention and gave her an exaggerated salute. "_CHO!_"

People around them all laughed . . .

* * *

Nearby . . .

"Well, I'll be fuckin' damned . . . "

From his place in the branches of a cherry tree near the school building, Futoshi Itsuku could only shake his head as he slipped off his sunglasses and fold them up before slipping them into his T-shirt pocket. _You were right, Amane_, the Yōshū sophomore mused to himself. _She's Reitei-sama. A much CHANGED Reitei-sama, but still Reitei-sama._ Shaking his head, he crouched, and then leapt away from the tree to land atop a nearby telephone poll before dropping casually to ground level.

_Now what will having her back mean for all of us . . .?_

Contemplating that, he headed off to the nearest bus station . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, first afternoon period . . .

"Hanmami here."

"Hanmami-san, this is Inoue Tamako."

A quick pause, and then, "Ah, Inoue-san! How are you?"

"I'm quite fine, sir," Tamako – who was currently standing off on her own close to the old willow tree . . . and thus, away from her friends or any other person who could potentially eavesdrop on her – said. "I was wondering if I could make an order of katsuo-bushi and have it delivered to my house right after school? My mother needs it for a special dinner she is making for some her friends tonight."

Another quick pause, and then the man on the other end of the line answered, "I'll be more than happy to get that to you right away, Inoue-san. Nishi-san will be by to deliver your order by five o'clock this evening."

"Could I have it delivered at four-thirty?"

"Certainly. Must be a very important meal."

"Hai, Hanmami-san, a VERY important meal."

"Very well, then . . . "

* * *

The Dobu Salada . . .

Hanging up the phone in his private office in the basement, Han Yŏngch'ŏl could only scowl as _this_ sudden surprise that had just been dropped onto his lap.

Of course, there was no real worry about any sort of potential exposure for his current operation for the Supreme Leader and the Fatherland. Inoue Tamako had been expertly programmed to follow the best intelligence field craft the North Koreans had learned from their former comrades in both the Soviet KGB and the Chinese GAB over the many years of the Cold War. She had – much to his own personal pride and joy; he had supervised her reprogramming as soon as Conna had seen to her conversion to an android after an arranged "automobile accident" four weeks ago when her parents were away from the home one weekend – used the proper code-phrases in the call to "Mr. Hanmami" . . . and in ordering katsuo-bushi, she had clearly indicated that something of VERY great import had to be relayed to him right away. And given that she had demanded an immediate meeting with Sŏ Yŏn'i – she was the "Miss Nishi" he had mentioned to Tamako; "nishi" was the Japanese _kun'yomi_ reading of the Chinese character for "west," which was said as "sŏ" in Korean – right after school clean up, it clearly was something vital.

What could it be, though . . .?

* * *

Tomobiki High School . . .

"Oh, man!" Perm breathed out. "I'm stuffed!"

"I hear you, man!" Megane said as people – all of Class 1-4 had spent the rest of the lunch period and their first afternoon class, which was cancelled by the Principal so they could have a good long lunch after the panic in the morning concerning Imo – relaxed on the blankets that had been spread out over the lawn to one side of the main pathway. "That has got to be the BEST picnic lunch I've ever had! Hey, Kyech-san, is this NORMAL for Noukiios?"

"In the wealthier areas," the Dragonspeaker said as she calmly enjoyed a cup of spice tea. "But in the poorer areas, the need to survive prevents many from simply sitting back and enjoying the coming of spring on their various home worlds." She then lightly smiled. "We may seem powerful and wealthy to you, Satoshi, but we are not perfect. We try our best, but we are 'human' – to borrow your term for it; on Noukiios, we say _kichuch kai manghek_ – and we do make mistakes. Many of them."

"But do you try to make things better, Lady K'ekhech?" Masayuki asked.

A nod. "We do, Masayuki. In each of our own ways, we do."

"Hey, Mendō! You okay?"

People turned as a still-pale Mendō Shūtarō was walked over by Tachiko to sit down on the cloth. "I am alright, Kakugari-san," the scion of Japan's richest family said as he took a deep breath. "I apologise for my atrocious behaviour earlier in class, but seeing that caterpillar and noting how ugly it looked . . . " A shake of the head.

"Do you think you would've attacked it?" Ryūnosuke asked.

Mendō considered that for a moment, and then he slowly nodded. "Most likely, yes. I have never really liked looking at such an ugly sight as that; my first instinct was to destroy it as soon as I could!" A shake of the head. "After Tachiko showed me what that caterpillar transformed into . . .!" Another sigh. "Arigatō, Ryūnosuke-san. I could not have borne the death of such a lovely being as that on my conscience, even if her earlier state of being was so repulsive."

"It's alright, man," the tomboy said as she sipped her own tea; she had tried the Noukiite spiced teas since the Moroboshi siblings seemed to like them very much and found that the actual spices – while quite hot to her tongue – were quite tolerable. And it would give her something to try to force-feed her idiot father whenever he got a little too stupid around her in the future; the fact that he gladly poisoned her own breakfast the previous morning still rankled her. "Though I hope to hell that if another of those little critters comes by NEXT spring, you'll be able to take it a little better than you did now."

A nod. "I pray so as well."

"That's the spirit, son," Saburō stated; the senior officers of the _Mirai_ and the 801st were sitting with them. "Don't let the fear consume you. Face it, overcome it, and then get on with your life. If you don't, you'll never go anywhere. And given how many people are dependent on your family's factories and other companies . . . "

Mendō smiled. "I am fully aware of that, Umezu-taisa."

"Shūtarō-san."

He perked, and then turned. "What is it, Hiromi-san?"

The reborn emperor moved to take her seat; she had spent the last little while walking around with Satake Mamoru discussing the capabilities and potential mission profiles that would face the Star Flare warp shuttles when they were deployed with their base ships in deep space. "Satake-taii just informed me that Umezu-taisa likes taking the time to visually inspect any ship he commands before said ship deploys for a mission. May we prevail upon you and your gracious family to allow one of the Star Flares assigned to _Yamato_ to come down to the airfield at your estate so we can all ride up in that in lieu of taking the materialiser up into orbit this evening?"

Mendō blinked. "How large are one of these things? I never went into the hangar on _Haida_ when Tariko-san and I went on our date on Saturday."

"They're 79.24 metres long and possess a wingspan of 60.96 metres," Mamoru answered. "Take-off weight in Earth gravity is 367,740 kilograms."

"That's a little larger than a Lockheed C-5A Galaxy," Miyuki stated before sipping her tea. "From what I was briefed on concerning your airfield, the runways are rated to take twice the mass of an Antonov An-225 at maximum takeoff weight."

A nod. "Hai, Haneda-shōsa. Hiromi-san, will this craft need runway space?"

"Oh, no," the reborn emperor said with a shake of her head. "Tsukihana-kun designed them to be fully VTOL capable since they have to land on a confined space on the upper aft superstructure of any of the Type Ones, in virtually the same manner that the gallant _Mirai_'s helicopters and tilt-rotors operate from her flight deck. All we need is a large enough space for the Star Flare to come down, and then take off again."

A nod. "Easily arranged . . . "

"_**WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?**_"

Everyone jerked, and then Ataru sighed. "Kyech, you didn't throw him far enough away this morning," he said as he calmly sipped his tea.

"What the HELL happened to him?" Mitsuru demanded, looking over.

People perked, and then they turned . . .

. . . before many of the students began to snicker and laugh on seeing a very angry Kuribayashi Sanjurō standing close to the front gate of the school grounds, glaring at the members of Class 1-4 and their guests. On seeing him, Ataru then blinked on noting what happened to the man's hair; he now possessed an American-style military buzz cut in lieu of the shaggy brown locks he had when he came to work this morning. Snorting on seeing that and immediately recalling something he had heard over the student grapevine from Nerima in the past several years, Ataru then called out, "Hey, Sensei! Did you just visit _F__ū__rinkan High_? I thought you were working here!"

Momoe howled with mirth on hearing that, as did all the other students who also knew of a certain Hawai'i-loving principal in charge of one of Nerima's more infamous places of higher education. On hearing that, Kuribayashi jolted, and then growled. "Moroboshi, you letch! If you think I'm going to let you get away with whatever evil plot you're planning on the innocent girls of Tomobiki, you got another think coming!"

Ataru perked. "'Evil plot?'" he parroted the older man, and then he looked over as many of his classmates fell on their sides laughing their guts out. "Geez! What sort of bad soap opera did you get THAT from?"

"What do you expect, Onii-san?" Hiromi asked. "Given how much of a _paedophile_ this fellow clearly is – if his behaviour concerning Hensō-san some months ago was any indicator – the fact that you are in the presence of such incomparably beautiful women as our own classmates would NATURALLY make him think you were up to no good."

"_**YOU BE QUIET, T**__**Ō**__**SHI!**_" Kuribayashi snapped as he pointed at her. "_**YOU SHOULDN'T BE EVEN IN THIS SCHOOL! YOU SHOULD BE DEAD, JUST LIKE THE REST OF . . .!**_"

"_**EXCUSE ME?**_"

THAT was Kadomatsu Yōsuke, who had bolted up to his feet as he turned to glare wrathfully at Kuribayashi. He was immediately joined by both Kikuchi Masayuki and Oguri Kōhei, they soon followed by a frowning Konishi Mitsuru and Umezu Saburō. Noting that, the substitute teacher felt a cold chill warp through his body. Like many in Japan, he knew of the _Mirai_ and her remarkable voyage the previous year that took her and her 241 personnel into another dimension and back in time to 1942 at the Battle of Midway. And while the tall, bearded fellow didn't appear to be a naval officer, there was the look on his face that clearly indicated he was military. Before he could stammer out a demand for these men to mind their own business, a smile then crossed Saburō's face. "On-taii, would you please be so kind as to ARREST this man for threatening our DIRECTOR!"

Kuribayashi perked. "Huh . . .?"

A hand snared him by the shoulder, and then pitched the substitute teacher into the concrete fence surrounding the school. As all the air was forced out of his lungs, his attacker was on him in an instant, snaring his arms and handcuffing them into place before Kuribayashi could wonder what was happening. A moment later, he was yanked up onto his feet, and then spun around to find himself glaring at a very angry lieutenant in the Maritime Self-Defence Forces, IN duty uniform, with the markings of a security officer on him. "Now, now, now, sir. I think a little spell in the brig at Yokosuka will teach you to not make threats to a person of significant interest not only to the Self-Defence Forces . . . but to the IMPERIAL THRONE as well!" he said as he glared into the other man's eyes, his words making Kuribayashi gape. "Petty Officer Shibuya!"

"Sir?"

"Take this man away!"

"Sir!"

With that, two shore patrolmen came up and snared Kuribayashi by the arms before dragging him off. The suddenness and swiftness of that action had stunned Kuribayashi into silence, which was quite enjoyable for his would-be victims. Before he could be loaded into a waiting patrol car, a familiar toneless voice called out, "Motosuke."

Lieutenant On Motosuke – the future chief security officer of the _Yamato_ – perked before he turned to stare at Negako. "Hai, Negako-sama?"

"Send your people to Sanjurō's hotel room," the ninjutsu grandmaster stated. "The Hotel Sunroute Tomobiki, Room 949. There's a briefcase there with _**ten million yen**_ in cash; he has yet had time to get the money to a bank to deposit it." As people nearby all gasped on hearing something like that, she added, "It should be returned to Gekasawa Tsuyata, Kumiko's father." She made a motion to the young girl in question, who stood up and bow repentantly to the older man. "It was Tsuyata and some friends who arranged to have Sanjurō brought here to teach classes, then paid him to make him specifically target my siblings for most unjust reasons. DO see to it that when it comes time to bring him before the bar of justice, those charges are also brought against him."

Motosuke smirked as Kuribayashi turned a sickly pale; the allegations of such a payout the LAST time he was at Tomobiki High School had raised a _**massive**_ stink with the Tōkyō Metropolitan Government Board of Education and almost saw his teaching license revoked. "I'll make sure that the members of the Board are informed of this, Negako-sama. And I'll arrange for someone from the Tomobiki police box to go pick up that money and have it brought to the school so the Principal here could return it back to its proper owners; we do not possess the authority to do this ourselves." A shake of the head as he gave Kumiko a sympathetic glance. "To waste money like that when it could be better spent to allow one's own child to go to university and make a good life for herself. How shameful!" he said before turning to the shore patrolmen holding Kuribayashi prisoner. "Take that man away!"

"SIR!" the two burly petty officers barked.

Kuribayashi didn't resist as he was dragged off. As many of the students all cat-called after him, the senior officers from the _Mirai_ laughed. "Crazy Enko strikes again!" Kōhei said with a cackling laugh. "Man, having him aboard the . . .!"

"_**WHAT WAS HIS NAME?**_"

The _Yamato_'s future navigation officer yelped as a wide-eyed Hiromi spun on him. At the gate, the two petty officers who were taking Kuribayashi away to jail also stopped, they and he turning to gaze back at the scene on the front lawn. Before Kōhei could stammer out an answer to Hiromi's shouted question, Negako looked over. "In his first life, Motosuke was Yuán Jī. Yuán Shào's and Yuán Shù's elder half-brother."

The reborn emperor blinked, and then she smiled as she gazed fondly on the security officer, who was now blushing. "Well met again in this life, Master Coachman Enko," Hiromi then said as she gave him a fist-in-palm salute. "It does my heart well to know such an honourable warrior of such a noble house lives in this life."

As the other military officers all blinked – those from the Maritime Self-Defence Forces all knew of Motosuke's high school nickname, but never understood what it truthfully meant – a wide-eyed Motosuke stared at her for a moment before a smirking Tariko stood and pointed to what was hanging off her sister's left ear. Noting that, the man who had once been known among his peers at the Yoshū Academy in Utsunomiya as "Enko" gaped, and then he bowed, giving her a salute with his hands. "Well met again, good lady . . . but please forgive me for asking this: Who were you?"

"She was Liú Hóng, Motosuke," Negako answered.

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

An awestruck Motosuke breathed out, "Majesty . . .!"

"Lieutenant."

He jolted, and then looked over. "Sir . . .?"

"Is there something you're not telling us, young man?" Saburō asked, an amused smile on his face as he crossed his arms and gave the security officer a knowing look.

Motosuke jolted as Hiromi burst out laughing. She was soon joined by all of her classmates. As the security officer blushed in embarrassment, he then turned to wave off his subordinates. Both petty officers blinked, and then they nodded as they turned to drag Kuribayashi off. Feeling that, the substitute teacher began to scream out, "_**HEY! WHAT ARE YOU DOING? DON'T LISTEN TO THAT FILTHY T**__**Ō**__**SHI! LET ME . . .!**_"

_KLONK!_ "Quiet, you!" one of the petty officers snapped after bashing the poor man with a tonfā. "You can explain it to the duty officer at Yokosuka! Let's go!"

The moaning teacher was shoved into the patrol car and locked in before both men got in and drove off. By then, another car was driving up a side street . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:  
**

1) Matsudamasu Maiko and all her friends are taken from the Shimizu Toshimitsu manga series _Maico 2010_, which was produced in the late 1990s. I took some liberties with some of the character names to make them real people.

2) The majority of this part of the series parallels the events depicted in the _Yatsura_ manga story "A Flying Start" (manga episode #33), including Mendō's violent reaction to Imo when she was still a caterpillar. The term **cacophobia** means a fear of ugliness, which is what he did demonstrate in the episode concerning Ataru's butterfly spirit "daughter."

3) The term "**Immortal Phoenix**" is the rough translation of the Chinese characters 奉先 (read "Fèngxiān" in Mandarin and "Hōsen" in Japanese), which is the style name of a certain someone who's reincarnation will catch Ataru's interest in the upcoming months. Likewise, the phrase "**New Lodge**" is a way of hinting at 新宿 (Shinjuku). And the "**Gathering Place of Friends**" is a rather poetic way of saying 友引 (Tomobiki).

4) Translations: **Cho** – Noukiite for "Yes;" **Katsuo-bushi** – thin flakes taken from the bonito fish which are used as either a condiment in Japanese foods or as flavouring in soup broth; **KGB** – Short for _Komitet Gosudarstvennoy Bezopasnosti_ (Committee for State Security), the intelligence and internal security agency of the Soviet Union from 1954-91; **Taii** – Army captain, Navy lieutenant or Air Force flight lieutenant (NATO officer rank code O-2, U.S. armed forces pay grade O-3); **Tonfā** – The Okinawan stick-with-handle weapon that is used in various martial arts like karate, plus also used by Japanese police officers as an effective means of disarming sword-wielding opponents.

5) **Enko** (**On Motosuke**) was first introduced in Part 51 of _Phoenix From the Ashes_. As stated in the Tōshi List for that story, he is seven years older than his brother **Enshō Honsho** (**On ****Tsuguta**). He graduated from the Yoshū Academy alive and well, effectively evaded his fate, and then chose to put his skills to the service of his country by serving in the Self-Defence Forces. As hinted by Hiromi, in his first life as Yuán Jī, he was a ministerial coachman in the service of the government of the Hàn Dynasty.


	15. The Great Peace

The _Paekb__ŏ__m_, mid-afternoon (Sŏul/Tōkyō time) . . .

"There it is again."

Hearing that comment from one of the people manning the scanner control units in the combat information centre of the Korean starship, Yu Chung'won blinked. "What?"

Yi Ŭnju – all of the two hundred Avalonians currently manning the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ were all named after famous South Korean actresses – blinked before she gazed over at the NIS agent. "Yu-ssi, I've been detecting incidents of chroniton radiation emerging from a particular point on the Amnok-kang near Huch'ang since we began the detailed scan of the North for evidence of Zeiwanite technology usage there." She pointed to her screen as he got out of his chair and walked over to gaze at it, noting it was showing a map of the frontier between North Korea and China in Ryanggang Province.

"Huch'ang . . . " Chung'won whispered, and then he gaped as something whispered to his memory. "Wait! What does that exactly mean: 'Chroniton radiation?'"

The beautiful – _Is there any _other_ type of Avalonian?_ Chung'won then wondered – woman turned to gaze at him. "It's the evidence of a time warp."

Silence.

"What is it?"

Chong'won turned as Hwang Chŏngmin came up to him. "Ŭnju-ya has detected the evidence of a time warp, Chŏngmin. At _Huch'ang_ in _Yanggang_!"

The other NIS agent blinked. What had happened hear Huch'ang during the early years of the previous decade had been one of the more interesting results of the Sunshine Policy initiated by President Kim Taejung during his term in office, especially given the historic summit he had with the North's "Supreme Leader," Marshal Kim Chŏng'il, in P'yŏng'yang in the summer of 2000. "The _Pigy__ŏ__k Chinch'__ŏ__nroi_?"

"That's where it was being developed," Chung'won stated. "And that's where members of the main defence platoons from both countries assigned to the project AND Kim Suyŏn-sŏnsaengnim disappeared back in 2005! WITH the _Pigy__ŏ__k Chinch'__ŏ__nroi_ device!"

More silence.

"They warped back in time?" Chŏngmin gasped. "To when?"

In response, Ŭnju tapped controls on her touch-screen keypad to commence a detailed scan of the subject area. After a moment, she turned to gaze on the two NIS officers. "According to the analysis of the chroniton decay rate and the remnants of the time warp that formed there, if anyone was caught in the time warp, they would have been propelled back in time a little over four centuries, Hwang-ssi. It also appears this event was influenced by the passing of a large comet close to Earth." She tapped controls. "I'm tapping into Sagussan records of comets passing through this system. Since most of them move to a set orbital time period, it is possible to determine which comet influenced this event, and then possibly determine which actual time period the missing soldiers and Kim-sŏnsaengnim were transported to. It should . . . "

She paused. "What?" Chong'won asked.

"According to a scan made by Rover E-178 that was monitored by the construction yard where this vessel was assembled, Yu-ssi, a time warp did appear in the area of modern-day Huch'ang in the Korean year 3905, the sixth year of the reign of King Sŏnjo of Chosŏn." She blinked as she considered something. "That corresponds to the year 1572 in the modern Gregorian calendar," Ŭnju stated. "Also, a thermonuclear device with a design yield of 210 petajoules of energy was detected." She stared at Chong'won and Chŏngmin. "That would be the equivalent of fifty megatons of trinitrotoluene."

Chong'won gaped. "My God! That's the EXACT yield design of the _Pigy__ŏ__k Chinch'__ŏ__nroi_ device!" He then blinked as he considered what had been discovered, and then he gazed on the young Korean-Avalonian. "What else did this rover find?"

"The rover did a later scan of the area, approximately two months after the device in question was detected. It did not detect the thermonuclear device where it had first been found, though it did detect evidence of a space ship having come into orbit over Earth. But since the vessel was not found by any other Rover unit assigned to monitor both Earth and Triton, it was never further investigated," Ŭnju answered.

Both men considered that, and then Chong'won took a deep breath. "Ŭnju-ya, can this ship do a time warp?" he asked as Chŏngmin gaped wide-eyed at him.

Ŭnju didn't react save for a nod of understanding. "I will begin making the computations now, Yu-ssi. To the time period this warp occurred?"

"Do it. I'll call Director Moroboshi."

She nodded, and then turned back to her screen . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School . . .

"A time warp to the sixth year of King Sŏnjo's reign?"

"Ne," Chong'won answered from the _Paekb__ŏ__m_. "The historical records that your friends recovered from the Sagussan Rover system indicate that a starship did visit Earth shortly after the nuclear bomb and the time warp from 2005 was detected. And this starship _vanished_ from the Rovers' scanners and could not be located again. Hence, it couldn't be a ship from any of our neighbouring races. Ŭnju-ya states that doing a slingshot warp around the Sun is the best and safest way to travel back in time to where we have to go; she's working on the computations right now and will have them ready for Tsukihana-gun and Ayami-yang to look at within an hour or so."

"I see," Hiromi said, breathing out. She was now in Class 1-4 with her friends all listening in; even if the Moroboshi siblings – and Inoue Tamako – were the only ones in the room who were fully fluent in Korean, everyone else was picking up enough words from the NIS agent to understand what was happening. "And the device the Rover detected matches that of this _Pigy__ŏ__k Chinch'__ŏ__nroi_ device Mistress Suyŏn helped create?"

"Ne."

A sigh. "Very well, then. Yunjin-a, are you there?"

"Ne, Hiromi-yangnim?" Kim Yunjin replied.

"Abort the other mission I had you people working on," the reborn emperor ordered, not showing any sign that she was fully aware of who else could soon learn of this. "Have the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ shifted out of orbit and moved to one of the spacedocks our sisters seized from their former masters. I need the ship repainted in proper colours for a fighting vessel of the _Taehan Min'guk Haegun_ as quickly as possible. Once the ship is in dock and being repainted, contact me with the completion time."

"Ne, Yang-nim!"

"Master Yu, what can you tell me of the people who went missing?"

"The person you'll definitely want to get back is Kim Suyŏn. I was never fully briefed on the _Pigy__ŏ__k Chinch'__ŏ__nroi_ as this was a joint military project between the two republics and not something run by the NIS and their counterparts in P'yŏng'yang, but from what I've learned of it since they all disappeared in 2005, the ICBM that was constructed by Kim-sŏnsaengnim was built with the same level of stealth technology the Americans use on the F-22 Raptor fighter and the B-2 Spirit bomber."

Hiromi whistled. "Really? That _**alone**_ demands this worthy be rescued from the borderland of Chosŏn during the reign of King Sŏnjo. If I recall my history correctly when it came to your noble homeland, the Jurchens were being exceptionally unfriendly neighbours at the time." As the NIS agent on the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ laughed and Ataru and Tariko snickered – Tamako was barely able to hold back her own laughter; as far as her classmates knew, her knowledge of Korean wasn't as accurate as any of the Moroboshi siblings – the reborn emperor then hummed. "What of the missing soldiers?"

"The two officers that went missing were a Major Kang Min'gil of the North Korean Special Purpose Forces . . . and a Major Pak Chŏng'u, detached from the 707th Battalion. Both were good friends and fully supportive of the project in question. Atop that, Kang-soryŏng was a very good friend to both Pak Muyŏng and Han Yŏngch'ŏl; all three were classmates at the Worker's Party Higher Academy in P'yŏng'yang."

Hiromi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, you told me of this Pak Muyŏng fellow," she said as she sensed a surge of surprise from Tamako. _No doubt, the good Colonel Han told her about that man_, she mused to herself. _Let's see how she reacts to _this_!_ "He was the controlling officer of your late beloved, the Lady Yi Panghui."

That made Tamako jolt slightly, though she was able to use her housekeeping computer programming to keep her physical reaction from being seen by her classmates. Her emotional reaction was a whole different matter. _Oh, no!_ the gynoid student-turned-spy gasped. _Hiromi-chan's dealing with the man who dated Panghui-ya when she was human! If he's told her about Panghui-ya – and he knows about the Colonel __–__ then the mission's in jeopardy! _She then felt her whole body chill. _How on Earth did the South Koreans catch onto the Colonel being here in Japan? It's the only way Hiromi-chan could've learned about him! _She then concentrated as she focused her housekeeping computer on putting a hard clamp on her emotions. _No matter! I have to think of something to turn Hiromi-chan away from this! If she pursues this any further, Y__ŏ__n'i-ya and the others will be in danger! I can't let Y__ŏ__n'i-ya be hurt! I can't!_

* * *

Unseen by her, the two other Avalonians in the classroom had picked up on the burst of fear escaping Tamako. _What the fuck . . .?_ Ryūnosuke thought to herself, echoed by similar thoughts by Tachiko. _What the hell's wrong with Tamako?_

* * *

"Ne," Chong'won breathed out. "As far as I know, Kang never really cared for all the skulduggery Pak and Han were capable of unleashing. He came up in the ranks after the fall of the Soviet Union and China's economic reforms, when the North was totally isolated from any support its leaders could truly trust. He was the first one to approach Kim Chŏng'il with the idea of making a deal with the South to get our help to create something like the _Pigy__ŏ__k Chinch'__ŏ__nroi_ missile system in the first place. It was a miracle in everyone's eyes that there were people who went with President Kim to P'yŏng'yang in 2000 who supported a similar project in the South." A chuckle. "All inspired by the book Kim Chinmyŏng-sŏnsaengnim wrote in 1993 about that idea."

"_Mugunghwa Kkoch'i P'i__ŏ__ss__ŭ__mnida_," Hiromi quoted the title of that book, an amused smile then crossing her face; Ataru had read the book in the original Korean some years ago, which had violently upset everyone who knew him. In truth, he had done that as a way of blowing a raspberry at his own mother for not allowing him to attend his grandmother's funeral. "And people here in Japan wonder why Koreans are so angry because of things like the comfort women issue, much less the whole matter of those unworthy creatures who were entombed in Yasukuni back in 1959 and 1978." A sigh. "Thank the Heavens that the Shōwa Emperor recognised that fact and refused to visit the shrine until he himself passed through the _Te'a_." She then breathed out. "Master Yu, for the time being, the crew will have to busy themselves making the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ fully presentable as a fighting ship of your noble Republic. The other issue we can deal with at our leisure once the Lady Suyŏn and her friends are safely returned to their proper place and time period. Could you please send a signal to Ch'ŏng'wadae to inform Yi-daet'ongnyŏng about this development and my intentions to rescue those poor unfortunates from being forced to live out in the country like that?"

"I'll send the signal down right away."

"Kamsahamnida, Master Yu. Moroboshi out." She clicked the small communicator unit – Tsukihana had promised her he would rebuild the Research in Motion BlackBerry Bold 9700 Hiromi had acquired recently to link it fully into the frequencies used by the starships now in orbit over the planet – she had drawn out of her book bag, and then she slipped it away. "Well, another gift from the Fates . . . "

"Hiromi-san, isn't that dangerous?"

She looked over. "What do you mean, Shūtarō-san?"

"Bringing Koreans who were working on a _nuclear bomb_ project into the Earth Defence Force?" the scion of Japan's richest family demanded. "I'm familiar with that book you mentioned to the fellow now aboard the _Paekb__ŏ__m_; I had it translated into Japanese when I first learned of it some years ago. If these people . . . "

"Are given the chance to see what the real threats NOW are, they'll be more than determined to help defend the planet," Hiromi calmly cut him off. "Shūtarō-san, try to remember that those sentients out there – especially those sentients who would gladly wish us ill – do not care if we are Japanese, Korean, Chinese or what have you. We are all Terrans in their eyes. Even the Noukiites who gladly came to our aide see us first as Terrans and then identify us by local nationality. I am sympathetic to those many innocents from the noble land to our west who suffered at the hands of the people who gladly stole their freedom in 1910 and worked to destroy their culture – a culture that gladly contributed to the advancement of OUR culture in years past! – over the next thirty-five years. And, in a way, guaranteed that beautiful land would be divided after the end of the Greater East Asia War when the politics of the Cold War got in the way of their truly becoming masters of their own destiny." A sigh. "Choosing the name for the ship to symbolise Korea was especially difficult. The first name I would have selected was none other than the name of the noble Ch'ungmu-gong who fought to defend his land from Hideyoshi's bandits in the Imjin War, Yi Sunshin."

"Why didn't you?" Megane asked. "The man was even better at naval warfare – and he wasn't even formally trained as such – as Tōgō-gensui was when he fought the Russians at Tsu-shima. Hell, Tōgō-gensui himself felt Yi-sama was his superior!"

A giggle. "The noble Navy of the Republic have already named a ship in the Ch'ungmu-gong's honour, Satoshi-san. R.O.K.S. _Ch'ungmu-gong Yi Sunshin_, given the pendant number DDH-975." Hiromi shrugged. "That is the reason we could not name the American ship in the Earth Defence Force the U.S.S. _Enterprise_."

Laughter filled the room in the wake of that statement. "Hey, Hiromi-chan! Are you going to get Umezu-taisa the uniform?" Perm then asked.

Hiromi perked. "What uniform?"

"The one Okita-taisa wore in the television series!"

More laughter. "Actually, I did speak to Kadomatsu-chūsa about that," Hiromi then stated as she winked to her classmates, which made them all gape.

"And?" many of the people in the class then urged.

The reborn emperor's shoulders deflated. "Umezu-taisa isn't an anime fan."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"That poor man," Inu Chigaiko breathed out.

"Well, we can change that! Or at least the girls on the _Yamato_ could!"

Hiromi looked over. "How so, Hideyuki-san?"

Mifune Hideyuki smirked. "The bands of the Self-Defence Forces play the theme music to _Uch__ū__ Senkan Yamato_ all the time! When we go up there tonight, have the girls on that ship play the theme as Umezu-taisa comes aboard for the first time."

A hum. "There's an idea."

More laughter echoed from the class . . .

* * *

The staff lounge . . .

"They're talking about WHAT?" Sakura asked.

"Dressing Saburō in the greatcoat uniform the character Okita Jūzō wore when he assumed command of the rebuilt _Yamato_ in the anime series from 1974 depicting that vessel's voyage to the planet Iscandar," Negako stated as she sipped her tea.

Hearing that, the younger officers from the _Mirai_ – as well as their future co-workers from the Airbats – perked, and then they all looked as one at Umezu Saburō, who was seated at the other end of the table from the Principal as the guest of honour. Before anyone could say anything, Kadomatsu Yōsuke then cleared his throat. "Actually, the Director asked about that earlier. I warned her off from doing that."

"Oh? Why did you do that, Commander?" Saburō wondered.

The executive officer perked, and then he flustered. "Well . . . "

A chuckle. "Commander, just because I don't normally indulge in the things the younger generations do these days doesn't mean I ignore those things," the future commanding officer of the starship _Yamato_ stated. "Besides, I'm familiar with _Uch__ū__ Senkan Yamato_; I watched all the series when I was much younger right up to _Final Saga_, just before I joined the Self-Defence Forces and went to the National Defence College." He sipped his tea. "Much that I suspect they'll be asking the copyright holders of the series for permission to use the theme music as _Yamato_'s official song, I personally hope that some idiot at Headquarters in Yokosuka doesn't get it into his head to start a uniform change." He shuddered. "I look HORRIBLE in a greatcoat!"

Amused laughter filled the room, and then everyone perked on hearing a knock at the door. Hanawa Mitsu walked over to open it, and then he stepped aside as two police officers came into the room. Both men walked over to stand close to Negako, and then they bowed to her. "Moroboshi-sama, we have the briefcase the criminal Kuribayashi had in his hotel room," the senior of the pair declared. "We're returning it to you per the request of On Motosuke-taii."

A briefcase was handed over. Negako placed it on the table and opened it, scanning what was inside. The teachers who could see inside from their places around the staff table all gaped on noting the piles of 10,000 yen bank notes that were in the briefcase. "Damn! Ten million yen?" Onsen Mark exclaimed. "What the hell were those idiots in the Parents' Association thinking? The last time he was here . . .!"

"They will learn one way or another, Mark," Negako stated after doing a quick ki scan of the briefcase to ensure all the money was there. "Thank you, gentlemen," she then stated to the police officers, both of whom bowed, and then headed off to return to their station. "Do not waste your energy concerning yourself with people who refuse to change their attitudes because it simply inconveniences them, Mark. Much that I gladly exploited all the viewpoints of everyone in Tomobiki when it came to Ataru and what my influence on him ultimately helped instigate while Hensō was living here, the truth of what did happen and why was explained to the satisfaction of those people who were most concerned about it. Namely all of you in this room and all of Ataru's classmates. Anyone else is not relevant in my eyes." She then closed the briefcase up. "I will go speak to Gekasawa Tsuyata concerning this matter with Sanjurō," she told the Principal, who nodded in understanding. "That should take a short while, then I will return to chaperone all of Class 1-4 when they fly up to the _Yamato_ this evening."

"I'm sure those parents who understand the truth will be grateful, Negako-san," the elderly school administrator then said. "Would you like Kota-chan to go with you?"

Negako gazed at Kotatsuneko, who was enjoying his pipe nearby; as he was a ghost, the "tobacco" he smoked wasn't real tobacco and was ultimately harmless to anyone who attended Tomobiki High. "If he has nothing else to do?"

The cat-ghost then gazed on the Principal. "Yes, I'll handle that issue," the older man then said. "You go make sure that Gekasawa-kun's father understands the limits that will be imposed on him and his peers from this day on, Kota-chan."

Kotatsuneko smiled . . .

* * *

"Where are you going with the pretty kitty?"

Negako looked over at Kyech; the Noukiites who had come down to join the Dragonspeaker and her would-be lover were relaxing on a blanket off the front walkway enjoying afternoon tea. Hep'p'yech and her friends would return to Kesei later this evening, as would P'yap'ya to Kaisei. "We are off to severely upbraid the people who sent Sanjurō here to abuse Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi, Kyech," Negako answered. "I'm sure that Kotatsuneko will be more than happy to spend time with you this evening while we all are aboard the _Yamato_ allowing Saburō and his co-workers a chance to inspect their future workplace. I should return in about an hour. Come, Kotatsuneko."

The cat-ghost nodded as they headed off. "Maybe we should just show everyone our memories of Morningstar Plain and let them judge for themselves," Hep'p'yech stated as she turned back to her tea. "What Ataru did there speaks for itself."

"True, but some – especially those people who take gross pleasure in having a 'heel' to despise to their heart's content – will not accept even that," Aip' warned. "In fact, in certain cases, it might actually backfire and make those who would gladly see the _Euk Hisehek_ suppressed more determined to put him down. And they will gladly lash out at both Tariko and Hiromi to see to it that actually happens."

"That's not been proven, Aip'," T'yekp'it' warned.

"Do you doubt Nap'i's words on the matter?" Aip' asked.

The chief-of-staff to the governor of Kesei/senior intelligence officer of the Imperial Central Intelligence Agency took a deep breath. "Yes, the symbol Ataru bore on his chest when he transformed into that futuristic version of our sisters' devil-figure IS that known to be worn by the _Techye Hisehek_," she stated. "Yes, given what the Most Venerable Negako stated about Ataru's disappearance and his memories of travelling to 'a planet full of pretty ladies' when he was six does seem to point in the general direction of him being the _Euk Hisehek_. But if he really IS the _Euk Hisehek_, why in the Ch'uoeuk's Name haven't the Maidens come to seek him out once more? Especially when Hensō was here and running amuck like she did? The Great Dragon Ship always DOES interfere in very extreme matters. Look what he did for the Neptunians by gifting them the Central Warp Chamber at the start of the Nehech Dynasty? Much less did for the Vosians when the Kamahanites unleashed their Ultimate Weapon to destroy the Mikado?"

A nod. "True. And it is also true that the Maidens have stayed totally silent when we tried to reach out through the Dreamscape to speak to them," Aip' stated, referring to the mental version of the Internet Avalonians used to converse with each other over wide distances when they were asleep. "But we also know of their Non-Interference Directive and how that governed their decision – an unwise one as history would later prove, but one they stuck fast to when they made it – to allow our sisters to develop their own culture without interference from Sagussa. We also know that despite all the words Invader said when the Oni came to launch their 'tag race' on the Terrans that the vast majority of those people would never wish any true harm to befall the Terrans. If they did win their contest and invaded, it would have just been to help the Terrans advance themselves to Urusian levels of technology, thus guaranteeing the territorial integrity of the Galactic Federation against both the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu. Even if such grossly violated the Non-Interference Treaty the Oni signed years ago, at least the fear that drove that action was tempered with reason."

"Couldn't we just send a ship out there to find out what happened?" P'yap'ya then wondered. "We have the ability to penetrate the Barrier with our own ships."

The other Noukiites save Kyech looked aghast. "To IMPOSE OURSELVES on the Maidens?" At'at'at' demanded. "Are you MAD, P'yap'ya? We can't do that!"

"But what if they're in danger?" P'yap'ya countered. "In a way, they're more close to us by blood than any normal Noukiite! They're family!"

"It would never be approved," Hep'p'yech warned. "The Empress' advisors – while not the ambitious and selfish creatures that once advised the Throne back during our first lives – would caution against such a thing, especially if the very IDEA of sending a fleet like that once commanded by our brother T'uhut'k'e out to Sagussa ever got out into the general public. Those who would suggest such a thing would be seen as committing blasphemy against the Maidens!" A sigh. "And the Zephyrites wouldn't like it as well, especially the more religiously conservative amongst them. You know the radical Scripturalists dream of the chance of launching a Holy Crusade to 'cleanse' Sagussa of the 'unworthy heretics' that were gifted it by the Great Dragon Ship."

"And there's the danger of the Sagussans deciding that the Zephyrites – as they are blood-descendant of the clones of Tere'na-korgh who were released from their chambers and allowed to live their own lives by the fighters of Tarun Chong at the start of the War of Clone Rights – do not deserve to live, then apply their own version of the Anti-Cloning Edict upon them all," T'yekp'it' warned.

P'yap'ya blinked, and then shook her head. "Selfish fools . . . "

"Aye," Hep'p'yech breathed out. "No, leave it to Hiromi and her kin. They have the technology now in their grasp. When they feel it's time, they'll go there. And won't draw any objection from anyone in the Imperial Dominion or the vast majority of the members of the Six Churches." As the others gazed on her, the governor of Kesei then smiled. "After all, do we have the right to block the _Euk Hisehek_ from going home?"

The others all laughed . . .

* * *

Somewhere in the Slot, near Toshitto . . .

"So Moroboshi persuaded the Dragonspeaker to chase Lum off Earth?"

"So it seems, sir," the flag captain of the small squadron of six ships – the largest amongst them would be rated as equal to a frigate in Noukiite eyes – making their way through the tubular corridor connecting the Earth-Neptune system with the closest Urusian colony world then said. "Supposedly, the dragon who actually gave that bone-head her powers was also there as well. Confronting something like THAT would have scared anyone, even Lum's father!" He shook his head. "There was something else that was said on the news nets, but it didn't make any damned sense to me, Boss."

"What?" the leader demanded from his command chair.

"Something about Lum being enspelled by that old witch of the Oak Forest which resulted in her actually switching bodies with an Avalonian clone made to act as a living target by that idiot Ōgi at Nassur's request," the other man said. "It sounded like something some fantasy writer stoned on mayaku dust would have created . . . "

Pochik Rishu then smirked. "But it was enough of an excuse for the bone-heads to team with the fuckin' Yehisrites of all people to attack Ōgi's morons and nearly wipe them out," he then snarled. "And then – I still CAN'T believe this! – the bone-heads' own _empress_ turned around and declared Earth off-limits to _**us**_! And that coward Lana went along with it, too!" He then smirked. "Well, we can change that."

"Is that why we're headin' to Earth, Boss?"

That was the ship's pilot; all the people manning Rishu's small squadron out of the desert world of Konton – located in the unclaimed triangle of space now between Urusian, Fukunokami and Noukiite territory – were Urusians . . . and Urusian MEN atop that! "That's right," Rishu stated. "Even if we don't agree at all with what the lazy slobs in Onishuto say our race should be going, we ARE Urusians! And we sure as hell WON'T stand back while _bone-heads_ tell us what to do, ESPECIALLY if it comes to Earth! That's been OUR planet all along even if the fuckin' tailless monkeys living there don't realise it! So we're going to make DAMN sure that they don't forget from now on who their true masters are!" A smirk. "And if we get hold of this bioroid factory that idiot Ōgi supposedly had, that's all the better for us! Eh, lads?"

A howl echoed through the bridge of the small frigate . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Gekasawa home . . .

"Hai . . .? Oh! Negako-san!"

"Forgive me for disturbing you, Sonoko. Is Tsuyata here?"

Physically, Gekasawa Sonoko was an older version of her own daughter. While she spent most of her time at home while her husband worked and her daughter went to school, she did get out more than Tsuyata did. She had been there the previous Monday when the Niphentaxians' presence in Tomobiki had been exposed by the Noukiites and the truth about Moroboshi Ataru had been revealed. "Yes, he's in the living room," Kumiko's mother then said. "What's going on, anyway? Is Kumiko-chan alright?"

"Kumiko is fine, Sonoko. But she is rather very incensed at her father right now. I am afraid it has to do with this," Negako said as she held up the briefcase so she could open it and reveal what was inside to her current host. "Your husband and his friends in the Tomobiki Parents' Association arranged to re-hire Kuribayashi Sanjurō as a substitute teacher so they can see Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi oppressed."

Hearing that, Sonoko jerked, and then she scowled. "Come inside." She stepped back into the genkan as Negako and Kotatsuneko came into the house, the former closing the briefcase. "Dear!" she barked out as she stormed into the living room, where Gekasawa Tsuyata was now relaxing and enjoying tea before he would go to work; he was a night-shift manager at Honda's light truck plant in Sayama, located north of Tomobiki in Saitama Prefecture. "What the hell are you doing?" she demanded as she stopped in front of him, glaring down at him as he lowered his newspaper to gape at her.

"What are you talking about?" he wondered.

She leaned down to glare into his eyes. "Kuribayashi?"

Tsuyata jolted. "What about him?"

"He has been arrested and is currently incarcerated in the brig at the Yokosuka Naval Base on charges of threatening the members of a family that currently are of special interest to not only the Self-Defence Forces but the Imperial Family as well," a toneless woman's voice answered as someone in solid black walked into the room, followed by a familiar giant mi-ke cat-ghost that had been living in Tomobiki for some months now. "Specifically, my sister Hiromi. Sanjurō had the ill-luck to threaten her in the presence of Umezu Saburō and several of his subordinates from the destroyer _Mirai_, who were visiting the school at the time to meet with Hiromi."

As Kumiko's father paled on hearing that, her mother then turned to stare wide-eyed at the ninjutsu grandmaster. "Umezu-taisa? What was he doing . . .?" She then stopped herself. "Oh, my! You mean one of those starships Hiromi-chan's tōshi friends built to help protect us from the Oni and the rest of their friends . . .! You mean Umezu-taisa is going to actually take command of one of those ships?"

"Indeed. Specifically, the Japanese Starship _Yamato_, which he will go aboard tonight with his command crew and the command staff of the 801st Tactical Training Squadron of the Air Self-Defence Forces, who will form the nucleus of the 24th Space Wing which will crew all of _Yamato_'s star fighters and other small craft." Negako then placed the briefcase on the table. "None of the money was spent by Sanjurō prior to his arrest, Tsuyata," she then stated as she stared at Kumiko's father. "Return what your friends contributed back to them and never do this again or I will see to it that the Tomobiki Parents' Association will be disbanded once and for all."

He jerked. "Now, wait just . . .!"

"DEAR!" Sonoko barked, making him jolt as she glared at him. As Tsuyata fell silent, his wife then turned back to Negako. "How much money was that man given?"

"Ten million yen," the grandmaster stated. "I believe it was an even level of contributions from Tsuyata as well as nine other fathers of my siblings' classmates. Amongst them were Marubeya Nobukoto, Arakida Hiroichi, Yamagata Yasuzō, Obinata Nobukiyo, Chikanatsu Reikichi, Uchida Chinzan, Omaezaki Ushiji, Masanobu Goichi and Ichimonji Senzan. All of whose daughters were informed of their fathers' actions."

"_**HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?**_" Tsuyata screamed out.

"I am a practitioner of ninjutsu, Tsuyata," Negako said as she gazed in veiled amusement at him, which made him balk as that mirthless smile crossed her face. "Reading the ki that constantly flows through this city is as simple to me as reading a child's book would be to you. I was aware of your actions the instant you executed those actions last night." As Kumiko's father gasped in shock, the ninjutsu grandmaster turned to leave. "Now, if you will excuse me, I will be returning to Tomobiki High School. Hiromi and Tariko have invited all their classmates to attend what is colloquially called a 'slumber party' aboard the _Yamato_ this evening. I will be the chaperone. Be assured, Sonoko, nothing will befall Kumiko this evening."

As Tsuyata nearly choked on hearing THAT, Sonoko beamed. "A slumber party aboard a _starship_? And Kumiko-chan's won't be KIDNAPPED this time? My heavens! That's certainly much better than what she was made to endure thanks to Hensō!"

"_**WHAT?**_" Tsuyata screamed out. "_**I FORBID . . .!**_"

_KK-KRACK!_ "_**QUIET!**_" his wife shrieked at him after she had smashed the back of his head with a handy skillet. "_**GEKASAWA TSUYATA, YOU ARE GOING TO SIT THERE AND TELL ME WHY THE HELL YOU SPENT **_**A MILLION YEN**_** HIRING A BASTARD LIKE KURIBAYASHI IN THE FIRST PLACE! AN INCOMPETENT PAEDOPHILE LIKE **_**THAT**_** IS NOT FIT TO BE A TEACHER TO OUR LITTLE BABY! YOU PROBABLY STOLE THAT MONEY FROM POOR KUMIKO-CHAN'S UNIVERSITY FUNDS . . .!**_"

As Tsuyata found himself cowering away from his angry wife's rage, Negako and Kotatsuneko exchanged looks, and then quietly withdrew from the house . . .

* * *

After school . . .

"So Kā-chan's giving Baka Tō-chan hell for Kuribayashi, right?"

"Quite correct, Kumiko," Negako stated as she accompanied several members of Class 1-4 out of the school building. "I believe she will be making very sure he will suffer for his improper decisions concerning the use of funds they painstakingly saved up to pay for your university education in such an inappropriate manner."

Many of the people there laughed. "Not that those idiots don't deserve it," Momoe stated. "Honestly! Paying TEN MILLION YEN to a creep like Kuribayashi?"

"Definite waste of . . . eh?"

Negako perked on hearing Obinata Hiromi gasp, and then she turned . . .

. . . before her eyebrow arched on seeing the twenty-something woman in the plain tracksuit standing by the front gate of the school. "Greetings, Maiko. I would assume you and Helena came here today to speak to either Hiromi or Ataru."

Hearing those words from the woman who had helped make sure that World War Two in the Pacific had come to a final end according to the wishes of the Shōwa Emperor in the wake of the destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Matsudamasu Maiko blinked before she blushed as an embarrassed giggle escaped her. "Well, I'm not really too sure whom I'm supposed to be seeing, Negako-sama," the radio DJ from NJR Tōkyō said as she bowed politely to the ninjutsu grandmaster. "The butterflies that came to me after I got off work this morning in Shinjuku stated that I had to come see either the Earth Angel, the Emperor of the Hàn, the Avatar of the Harbinger of All Endings or the Soul-Queen of the Fifth Generation of Sen'a. Whatever all that meant!" She giggled again.

Negako sighed. "Because I have the ability to manipulate the very earth using my ki, I am erroneously addressed by the mystically-minded as the 'Earth Angel.'" As her companions all gaped at her, she added, "Hiromi is the Emperor of the Hàn the butterfly spirits that spoke to you in Shinjuku were thinking of. The Avatar is Ataru and the Soul-Queen is Tariko. So what exactly brings you here to Tomobiki this day?"

Maiko jerked, and then her cheeks flamed. "Um . . . "

The grandmaster's eyebrow arched. "I would assume this would have something to do with what Tanaka Rie was forced to do a year ago near the Tōshichi Onsen?"

The radio DJ nearly shrieked out, "_**HOW DID YOU KNOW THAT?**_"

Many of the students around Negako laughed. "She's the Earth Angel, Maiko-san!" Yamagata Masako then stated. "If it happens on Earth, she knows about it."

Maiko blinked several times as the others all giggled. "Maiko, summon all your friends – including Rie – to my family home. I believe you know where it is," Negako then stated. "Come within the hour; the members of my siblings' class will be starting a slumber party later this evening and I am required to chaperone it."

Maiko blinked, and then she nodded. "H-hai . . .!"

* * *

The Inoue home, minutes later . . .

"_**A STARSHIP?**_"

"Fifty of them," Tamako explained as she and Sŏ Yŏn'i sat side-by-side on the former's bed. A special white-noise generator Conna made for these sorts of occasions was on the former's work desk, producing enough near-ultrasonic waves of energy to ensure that no one could eavesdrop on them. Both girls were speaking Korean. "All built by two of Hiromi-chan's tōshi friends in some alien dockyard . . . which was near _Zeiwan_ of all places! They had been kidnapped by the Ipraedies and found out about what the Oni were planning, so they constructed those ships to help either protect us or liberate us!" As Yŏn'i gasped, the other gynoid stated, "And what's worse, they'll be turned over to the control of fifty of the most populous nations on the planet."

Yŏn'i blinked. "According to statistics, the Fatherland is forty-eighth on that list . . . " she then stated before gasping. "Oh, MY! To have a STARSHIP . . . "

"There's only ONE ship for BOTH Koreas!"

Silence.

"Oh," Yŏn'i then breathed out.

"And the _Namjos__ŏ__n_ have already moved to claim her," Tamako stated. "It's named the _Paekb__ŏ__m_, after Kim Ku-sŏnsaengnim." She sighed. "Hiromi-ya cares for people in Korea, Yŏn'i-ya. She wants to see Korea reunited. But she doesn't seem to care too much for Marshal Kim or the government he heads." She paused, and then blinked on noting that her lover didn't react as she once did when it came to mentioning the North's "supreme leader" without the proper mode of respect. "Yŏn'i-ya . . . "

A sigh. "In a way, I can agree with Hiromi-ssi about that, Tamako-ya," the native of Ryanggang then stated. "Much that we are all grateful to the Supreme Leader and his late father for their desire to keep us free of the influence of the decadent Americans and their allies around the world, I realise – as do many of us here now in Tomobiki – that we are part of the family of nations on Earth and we need to act as a part of it. Not just to make final peace with the South and maybe peace with the Americans, but to help humanity as a whole advance into the future." She smiled. "Coming here after I was saved by Conna-ssi was such an eye-opener for me, Tamako-ya. Even before I met you and fell in love with you before your accident and conversion."

Tamako's eyes misted. "Yŏn'i . . . "

Both girls embraced and kissed. After a moment – as both of them sensed some of their own internal programming trigger that would make things much more heated between them – they slowly pulled apart, and then took deep breaths as they calmed down. "So what will you do tonight about the _Yamato_?" Yŏn'i asked.

"Look around and get a feel of the technology on the ship," Tamako stated. "The Colonel can't do a thing unless he's got a full idea of what he might be up against." She then saucily winked at her lover. "You better be prepared to come by tomorrow night for another delivery, Yŏn'i-ya. I'll have a real big present for you then."

Yŏn'i giggled. "I bet you will." She then blinked. "Something else is there, isn't it?" she then asked as she gave the Japanese teenager a look.

A nod. "Did the Colonel ever tell you about his friend, Major Kang Min'gil?"

The Korean teenager nodded. "Ne! They were classmates in higher party school. But the major disappeared five years ago due to a secret protect . . . "

"Developing a stealth-capable ICBM for use by both Koreas against any potential enemy, even the United States?" Tamako quickly cut in.

Silence.

"How . . .?" Yŏn'i gasped.

"There's an NIS agent on the _Paekb__ŏ__m_," Tamako stated. "He briefed Hiromi-ya about the whole thing concerning the _Pigy__ŏ__k Chinch'__ŏ__nroi_. It turns out that Kang-soryŏng, his friends – including Pak-soryŏng – and Kim Suyŏn-sŏnsaengnim all fell through a TIME WARP from 2005 to 1572. Atop that, the missile warhead vanished back to that period in time. Hiromi-ya wants to use the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ to do a slingshot warp around the Sun and go back in time to rescue them all and get them back to our time period."

Yŏn'i breathed in. Even though the project that had been inspired by the famous novel written by Kim Chinmyŏng almost two decades before had been kept top secret from the general population in both Koreas, as a special agent of the North Korean state intellligence agency, she was fully privy to what had happened in Huch'ang a half-decade ago. "Hiromi-ssi is going to rescue them all? Why would she do that?"

"Because Kim-sŏnsaengnim designed a _stealth_ ICBM!" Tamako stated. "On hearing that, Hiromi-ya said this." She altered her voice into a nearly perfect imitation of Moroboshi Hiromi's classically formal tones: "'That _**alone**_ demands this worthy be rescued from the borderland of Chosŏn during the reign of King Sŏnjo.'"

Yŏn'i gaped, and then she laughed . . .

* * *

The Mendō estate, shortly after sunset . . .

"You don't realise how much we all appreciate this, Hiromi-san."

Hiromi smiled as she and her siblings escorted a small group of thirteen twenty-something women and one young man who was walking hand-in-hand with one of those women onto the tarmac near the main control station for the small military airfield the richest family in all Japan maintained for themselves. The assembled surplus fighter jets and helicopters of the clan's private Air Corps were lined up on the tarmac nearby as maintenance crew performed the evening checks on the equipment before turning in for the night. "You need not thank us for performing a simple act of humanity, Densuke-san," she said as she gazed in delight at Matsuo Densuke, a technical assistant who helped out at NJR Tōkyō. "Unlike what Rie-san's most errant sister has done to several poor unfortunates of the Land of the Morning Calm, Rie-san acted out of a simple desire to help your friends live. Given that this nanotechnology she used to convert them all into gynoids can't be reversed, the use of the bioroid factory's capabilities is necessary."

"And you would do the same to Rie, Hiromi-san?" Watanabe Yuki, a slightly plump and genki redhead with hazel eyes, then asked as she hugged one of Densuke's arms.

"Of course! Rie-san is ultimately no different than Onē-sama," the reborn emperor said as she waved to Negako. "Besides, given how passionate Maiko-san is when it comes to her . . . "

The others all laughed as both Matsudamasu Maiko and Tanaka Rie blushed. "I can't wait to see this starship," Maiko's elder sister Yoiko, a raven-haired woman with reading glasses over dark grey eyes, stated. "If the technology of the Avalonians' creators is so advanced, we're ALL going to be making a massive leap forward in the next decade. Not to mention finally break out into space beyond the orbit of the Moon."

"We have to, Yoiko-san," Hiromi said. "Sadly, our galactic neighbours – bar the Noukiites and to a lesser extent the Zephyrites – will not leave us alone. This system is too vital to their interests to simply let go. And despite all the promises the Non-Interference Treaty would normally provide to less-advanced worlds, that the Galactic Federation are quick willing to go back on their word at the literal drop of a hat . . . "

"We simply can't trust them at all," Densuke stated.

"Hai." Hiromi then made a shushing motion with her finger. "Now, please. Not a word as to why you're coming with us to the _Yamato_," she whispered. "I don't need to have panic set in either with Umezu-taisa and his friends, much less our own classmates."

The others nodded in understanding. By then, they had come close to the small crowd of students in civilian clothes with overnight bags standing close to the airfield control tower. Also present were Self-Defence Forces personnel from both the _Mirai_ and the 801st Squadron, now in their duty uniforms. "We're bringing the press along with us?" Kadomatsu Yōsuke then asked as he came up to join them, nodding to Maiko.

"It turns out that when we were deluged by Imo-chan's friends, Maiko-san and several of her friends found themselves deluged in the same manner, Kadomatsu-chūsa," Hiromi calmly answered. "While we're giving you all the grand tour of the _Yamato_, Onē-sama here will carry out a small examination of Maiko-san and her friends to ensure they don't suffer any ill-luck in the future. In the meantime . . . " She then perked as a distant turbine whine then echoed through the air. "Ah, there they are! Right on time!" she said.

People blinked, and then they turned . . .

"DAMN!" Megane gasped. "That's one BIG shuttlecraft!"

Soaring down from the heavens at a rather steep dive was a streamlined yet rectangular craft shaped like a mix of a Lambda-class shuttle from _Star Wars_ and the standard support shuttle from the original _Battlestar Galactica_ television series of the late 1970s. Shaped with a sloping back from the raised pilotage platform to the main drive engines aft, the Star Flare had forward-swept wings that had the same type of flight positions a Klingon Bird of Prey from _Star Trek_ possessed: Raised upward for landing (as it was doing now), level for flight and lowered for an attack position. A single rudder stuck out from the back and special pods lined the bottom of the craft, four of them opening to reveal landing gear as retrothrusters began to fire. "Damn! The landing wheels are RUBBER?" Konishi Mitsuru demanded as the Star Flare – which was now painted in the white-and-soft grey scheme used by the Maritime Self-Defence Forces for their shipboard helicopter forces, complete with the white-bordered red _Hinomaru_ insignia of the Japanese military – moved to land. "How the hell don't they all blow up the instant they're exposed to hard vacuum?" he demanded as he gazed on Hiromi.

"Solid rubber that was vulcanised in a vacuum, Konishi-taisa. There's no air in it to allow the rubber to explode once it's outside atmosphere," the reborn emperor said as the Star Flare touched down and the main boarding hatch then opened forward of the undercarriage below the pilotage. Stepping out from the craft was a lovely woman appearing to be about twenty or so, with shaggy dark brown hair ending at a point at mid-neck and dark brown eyes peeking out from behind reading glasses. Like all the Avalonian volunteers now aboard the fifty starships protecting Earth, she was in a plain white jumpsuit. "Ah, Yuka-chan," she said as she walked forward to gently grasp Okano Yuka's hands. "I trust all is ready aboard _Yamato_?"

"We're ready for Umezu-taisa and his crew now, Hiromi-sama," Yuka stated with a lilting voice that bore a normal Tōkyō accent. She then gazed on the gathered people there. "Everyone, please file aboard the Star Flare and secure yourselves in the cargo compartment. Umezu-taisa, Emi will direct you to the pilotage," she then said as a raven-haired woman with chestnut eyes stepped off the shuttle to escort everyone aboard the ship. "We will depart when you are all secure in your seats. This way, please," she then bade.

The others nodded in understanding. Soon enough, they were filing aboard the Star Flare, finding themselves in something that wasn't much different than the main cargo compartment of a Lockheed C-130 Hercules cargo transport. "Yeah, this is a military craft, alright," Perm said as people sat down and moved to buckle in. "Low on creature comforts."

"You're not supposed to live on these things, Perm," Ataru said as he sat down and buckled in. "They're either meant as troop transports, short-range cargo ships or flying gunships like the AC-130 Spookies the Americans fly these days."

"They can be converted for that role?" Isurugi Takuya asked as he gazed on Hiromi's brother.

"Hai. They're still working out the 'how,' though."

Laughter filled the chamber as the last people relaxed in their chairs and buckled in. The main boarding hatch then closed up and locked into place, the low _hiss!_ of atmospheric seal indicating the cabin was now pressurising for the eventual flight into orbit. "At least it doesn't hurt like the other times we've gone into space," Shinobu noted as the noise of the Star Flare's motors picked up and the ship began to vibrate. "When we were kidnapped from town by Kamen and Hensō, I swore that my own eardrums were shattered because of the constant change of air pressure while we were being bounced around as we got dragged off the planet."

There was a sudden jolt, and then people turned to look out the windows as the airfield buildings began to drop away from them. "Damn! That was smooth!" Megane said as the humming noise of the wings extending out to horizontal flight mode chimed through the chamber, the darkening skies over Tomobiki growing lighter as the Star Flare rapidly began to ascend into the upper levels of the atmosphere and the Sun appeared in the distant horizon. "Shit, how fast are we going?"

"We must've broken Mach One if we can already see the Sea of Japan from here!" Mitaka Arisa said as people spotted the vast sea to the west of the Home Islands off in the distance. "And you can see the Korean and Russian coasts from here!"

People whistled as the Star Flare then seemed to tilt up until its long axis was nearly perpendicular to the surface of the Earth far below. A moment later, the rumble of the engines turned into a powerful roar as the shuttle shot out into space, racing up as it seemed to bank around to eventually come parallel to something that seemed almost as massive as the _Kashin_, the flagship of Lum's and Hensō's father.

But this ship . . .

"_Yamato_ . . . " Kikuchi Masayuki breathed out.

People then perked as a voice began to sing . . .

_Saraba chiky__ū__ yo . . .  
Tabidatsu fune wa . . .  
Uch__ū__ Senkan . . . _Yamato_._

"Umezu-taisa . . .?" Oguri Kōhei demanded.

Hearing that, many of the students there began to laugh before they sang, they immediately joined in by almost everyone else aboard the Star Flare . . .

_Uch__ū__ no kanata  
Iscandar e  
Unmei seoi  
Ima tobidatsu!_

_Kanarazu koko e  
Kaette kuruto  
Te o furu hito ni  
Egao de kotae!_

_Ginga o hanare  
Iscandar e  
Harubaru nozomu,  
Uch__ū__ Senkan _Yamato_!_

On the pilotage, both Yuka and Sanokura Emi exchanged a look and a smile, and then they tapped controls to swing the Star Flare around to parallel their home ship as people both behind them and below launched into the second verse . . .

_Saraba chikyū yo!_  
_Aisuru hito yo_  
_Uchū Senkan _Yamato_._

_Chikyū o sukū_  
_Shimei o obite_.  
_Tatakau otoko_  
_Moeru roman._

_Dareka ga kore o_  
_Yaraneba naranu!_  
_Kitai no hito ga_  
_Oretachi naraba!_

_Ginga o hanare_  
_Iscandar e_  
_Harubaru nozomu,_  
_Uchū Senkan _Yamato_!_

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Korean translations: **Amnok-kang** – The Yalu River dividing North Korea and China from Paekdu-san to the Yellow Sea; **Pigyŏk Chinch'ŏnroi** – "High Strike Earthquake of Heavenly Thunder" (written in Chinese characters as 飛擊震天雷), the name used by the Korean general **Kwŏn Yul** for anti-personnel weapons used in the defence of the country against the Japanese invaders during the Imjin War (1592-98); **Taehan Min'guk Haegun** – Republic of Korea Navy; **Mugunghwa Kkoch'i P'iŏssŭmnida** – _The Rose of Sharon is Blooming_, the title of a book published by Kim Chinmyŏng that hypothesized a joint North-South Korean nuclear strike on Japan (which inspired the movie _Ch'ŏn'gun_ years later); **Ch'ŏng'wadae** – "Pavilion of Blue Tiles," also known as the "Blue House" (the home residence of the President of the Republic of Korea, in Chongno Ward of Sŏul north of the former royal palace of **Kyŏngbok-kung**); **Ch'ungmu-gong** – Duke of Loyalty and Warfare, the title bestowed to great generals of Korea during the Chosŏn Dynasty (1392-1910); **Namjosŏn** – South Chosŏn, the name used by North Koreans to identify their southern neighbours (the South Korean term for the North is **Pukhan** or "North Han"); **Soryŏng** – Army major, Navy lieutenant-commander, Air Force squadron leader (the Korean equivalent of the Japanese term "shōsa").

2) Given the separation of the Korean language thanks to the breakup of the nation post-1945, several odd pronunciation differences between the two sides of the DMZ have become quite apparent. Look at the way Yŏn'i's home province is named: In the North, the province is called **Ryanggang** while in the South, it is called **Yanggang** even if the _hanja_ (Chinese characters used in Korean) for the province is 兩江.

3) Other translations: **Gensui** – Army field marshal/general of the army, Navy fleet admiral, Air Force marshal/general of the air force (NATO officer rank code OF-10, not given a specific pay grade in the U.S. armed forces as such is considered only a wartime rank); **Chūsa** – Army lieutenant colonel, Navy commander, Air Force wing commander (NATO officer rank code OF-4, U.S. armed forces pay grade O-5); **Tere'na-korgh** – Forge of Tere'na, a fifty-kilometre wide dome located on the southern end of the Sagussan continent of the same name, where the fourth Sagussan race first arose a hundred millennia before; **Tarun Chong** – The Other Party, the pro-clone rights and pro-Lyna supporters that initiated the War of Clone Rights thirteen millennia ago; **Hinomaru** – Circle of the Sun, the name for the central sigil of the Japanese flag which serves as the official roundel on aircraft of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces.

4) _Final Saga_ is the name for the movie more often called _Final Yamato_ (the full title of the movie in Japanese is _Uchū Senkan Yamato - Kanketsu-hen_ ["Space Battleship_ Yamato_ Final Saga"]), which was released in 1983.

5) The style-name "T'uhut'k'e" was given to the legendary "Eunuch Spaceman," Lord **Eyu-Nek Ch'a-Seu** (later given the posthumous name "**Seu-Nek Ch'a-Seu Hechnich'-T'uhut'k'e **of Nehech"), the Noukiite analogue of the famous Chinese explorer Zhèng Hé. Lord T'uhut'k'e was introduced in the _Phoenix From the Ashes_ side-story _Let Us Have Peace_.

6) **Konton** is a desert planet which served as the base for the New Eo Pirate Kingdom that was first mentioned in _Urusei Yatsura - The Ishinomaki Years_. The Eo were the first true rebels against the government of the Urusian Empire, but were finally defeated by the Noukiites five centuries ago.

7) The **Six Churches** are another name applied to the **Holy Republic of Zephyrus**, which – in the universe of _The Senior Year_ – was one of the major galactic superpowers outside the Vosian Confederation and the Royal Kingdoms of Yehisril. The Zephyrites live under a theocracy that is quite similar to how the government of Iran is supposed to work in theory; their senior political leaders are all priests. In the universe of this story, the Zephyrites didn't get out into space until around the same time the Noukiites broke out into space (about 600 years ago). Thus, the territory of the Six Churches in this reality is much smaller than in _TSY_. The Six Churches are as follows (with their political leanings): **Orthodox Church of Zephyrus** (centre-right conservatives), **Protestant Church of Zephyrus** (centre-left liberals), **Orthodox Reformist Church of Zephyrus** (centrist conservatives), **Protestant Reformist Church of Zephyrus** (centrist liberals), the **Scriptualist Order** (far right conservatives) and the **Alliance of Social Reformation** (far left liberals who actually advocate the full separation of church and state). Like with the Niphentaxians in recent years, Zephyrites are normally pressured to hold an affiliation with one of the Six Churches lest they be declared apostates (though many such people flee into Noukiite space to avoid the wrath of the **Holy Inquisition** [Zephyrus' chief law enforcement agency]).

8) The translation of the theme song for _Uchū Senkan Yamato_ (composed by Miyagawa Hiroshi, lyrics by the late Aku Yū, sung by Sasaki Isao, translated into English by Ardith Carlton at the _Star Blazers_ website):

_Saraba chikyū yo. Tabidatsu fune wa Uchū Senkan _Yamato_._  
(Farewell, Earth. The ship we're travelling is is the Space Battleship _Yamato_.)

_Uchū no kanata Iscandar e unmei seoi ima tobidatsu!_  
(Through space, towards far-off Iscandar, we begin the journey with Fate on our shoulders.)

_Kanarazu koko e kaette kuruto te o furu hito ni egao de kotae!_  
(Surely we will return, we cheerfully answer the people waving their hands.)

_Ginga o hanare Iscandar e harubaru nozomu, Uchū Senkan _Yamato_!_  
(We depart from the galaxy, going a great distance to Iscandar, Space Battleship _Yamato_!)

_Saraba chikyū yo! Aisuru hito yo Uchū Senkan _Yamato_._  
(Farewell, Earth. The people we love, Space Battleship _Yamato_.)

_Chikyū o sukū shimei o obite. Tatakau otoko moeru roman._  
(Carrying out our mission to rescue Earth. Fighting men, burning romance.)

_Dareka ga kore o yaraneba naranu! Kitai no hito ga oretachi naraba!_  
(If we don't do it, someone must! We're the ones expected to do it!)

_Ginga o hanare Iscandar e harubaru nozomu, Uchū Senkan _Yamato_!_  
(We depart from the galaxy, going a great distance to Iscandar, Space Battleship _Yamato_!)


	16. The Eo Pirate Kingdom

In selenosynchronous orbit, 5000 kilometres above the Copernicus Crater . . .

"Your Highness, welcome to the bioroid factory."

"You're too kind to me, Madame President," Kurama stated as she gently squeezed the hand of the statuesque woman – gazing at Otako Meinyak, the crown princess of the Karasutengu was struck by how similar she looked to Sakurambō Sakura – who had greeted her after she had teleported herself down from her command ship. "Much that I wish I could have done something to aid you people in seeking your freedom, I regret . . . "

"That you simply didn't know of us," Otako finished as her grey eyes twinkled in amusement. "Don't apologise, Your Highness. Much that many of my sisters currently find trusting any leader of any of the Federation states quite difficult, I do realise to what lengths Ōgi and his predecessors as the President of the Union went to keep our existences secret from aliens." She then waved Kurama off the materialiser pad to a nearby turbolift station, several of the Tengu princess' retainers following her. "None the less, we are free and – thank Lyna for this! – none of us died when Elder Ganzo and his friends came to liberate us all from our so-called 'masters.'"

"Much that I don't care too much for Ōgi's boorish race, I am glad that Master Ganzo never gave up his quest to see you all free," Kurama stated as they stepped into the turbolift car. As Otako called out for the destination, the princess took a deep breath. "Much that I'm also grateful to Her Imperial Majesty the Empress in allowing me to visit Earth – as I am half-Terran – I do realise that in the wake of what the Noukiites discovered in Tomobiki, the presence of known alien visitors who came there in the wake of Hensō being 'married' to Moroboshi Ataru won't be tolerated with the same laissez-faire attitude the Men in Black demonstrated in the past."

"I assume you're seeking out a potential father to a child," Otako stated as she gazed knowingly at the visiting princess. "Having learned of the hybrids . . . "

Kurama blushed. "Yes," she breathed out. "A very handsome fellow by the name of Kei dai-Reinolzu. He was spotted by some of my observers who are still allowed to remain in the Tomobiki area and his image was flashed to me." She then sighed. "If he doesn't wish to help me in my quest to guarantee the succession, of course . . . "

"There are many others who could be consulted," Otako finished.

"Yes."

A chuckle. "Well, that might be a bit of a problem."

Kurama perked. "How so?"

A sigh. "You must understand that being bisexual – and being genetically programmed to seek out a bond-mate when one passes the time of the Awakening – is quite normal for Avalonians as it is for the _Daishi'cha_ now resident on Sagussa," the president of the provisional Avalonian government explained. "Those hybrids that were born of Avalonian mothers and Niphentaxian fathers – both boys and girls – are no different than pure Avalonians such as myself. While I'm sure that if approached in the right away, someone like Kei might agree to help father a child, there is the potential concern a bond-mate might raise towards how that child would be raised."

"How could that be a problem, Madame President?" the elder of Kurama's personal assistants then asked. "Any child the Princess gives birth to will be treated with the most respect and reverence possible. There will be no abuse whatsoever, not even the emotional abuse like what Moroboshi Ataru himself endured at the hands of his parents."

"True, but what happens if such a child reaches the time of the Awakening and then tries to seek a bond-mate . . . but cannot find one?" Otako asked.

"Is that a danger?" Kurama inquired. "I always believed that the urge to seek out a bond-mate among those of Sagussan blood is triggered in the same manner that a Vosian recognition bond works. It needs a 'target' for the person to lock onto."

"True. But what happens if the 'time of the month' makes your future child – either a boy or a girl – target someone who might not desire such in return?"

Silence fell as the Tengu princess considered that. "Oh, dear . . . "

Otako smiled. "Much that I won't think of trying to impose my own beliefs and ideals onto you – as we've had that imposed on us for far too long – I do think that you may need to hold back a bit before going out to see a future child-mate, Your Highness. I've heard of what happened when you encountered Ataru and later Mendō Shūtarō shortly after Hensō moved to Earth and started disrupting things there. Don't be so quick to rush such things. The child you seek to bring into this world deserves to have both a father and a mother he or she could look up to. Even if our approach to 'marriage' is different than other races, we do recognise the duty and responsibility a parent takes up when he or she actually helps bring new life into this world."

By then, the turbolift had arrived at the command station of the bioroid factory, which was located right at the centre of the "weather deck" atop the main hull, at the very nexus of a command tower over a kilometre high. Stepping out of the car, the small delegation from Karasutengu perked on seeing a nervous-looking woman standing there. "Forgive me for disturbing your time with the Crown Princess, Otako, but I have a report concerning the current situation in Gestation Towers 94 and 95."

"What is it?" Otako asked.

A sigh. "Try as we might, we can't unseal the outer hatchways into those locations and get inside. Even more so, there appears to be a security field up that is preventing us from using internal materialisers to beam into the spaces. We can't even scan in there to see what is happening. And any attempt at trying to shut off power into those locations is useless; all the towers were designed from the start to be totally self-sufficient energy-wise." She lowered her head. "I still insist we must ask Thoughtmistress-prime Negako to come here and look at this herself."

"No."

The woman jolted. "But Otako . . . "

A sigh. "For this alliance between ourselves and the Terrans to work, Taran, we need to show we can stand on our own two feet," Otako advised the other woman. Hearing the name, Kurama then nodded; this woman was Taran Reslei, a replica of a Niphentaxian planetary governor – as Otako herself was – who had fallen when the Noukiites and the Yehisrites had swept into the Phentax system to liberate the bioroid race from their enslavement. These days, the Avalonian Taran was Otako's vice-president. "Atop that, we must remember that despite the sheer breadth and depth of her knowledge, Negako deserves as much chance to discover what finally achieving her dream means to her. That means she must be given the chance to live her life without interference, even from us."

"But the energy that we're detecting there is beyond our experience, Otako!" Taran stated as everyone walked into the president's rather spartan office, which afforded a grand view of the looming Moon in the near distance, with the Earth and the many lights of the captured factory satellites and mobile space docks the Avalonians had brought to this system in the opposite direction. "It wouldn't take too much of the Thoughtmistress-prime's time. I'm sure she wouldn't mind helping out!"

Otako took her seat. "Exhaust EVERY option concerning getting into those chambers before we consider bothering Negako, Taran."

The other woman blinked, and then she nodded. "I understand. Excuse me."

She headed out of the room. "Negako is one of the souls that were within Ataru's mind when the Lady K'ekhech and Lord Nengmek'i came to Onishuto, was she not?" Kurama asked. "She was the one Lord Nengmek'i called the 'Earth Angel.'"

"The same," Otako stated as she waved Kurama into a chair, and then beckoned the princess' companions to nearby perches so they could relax. Immediately, a smiling girl came into the room with a tray full of tea cups and a kettle. "Strange as this will sound to you, Your Highness, she is Earth's true first artificial intelligence. Initially created by the late Thoughtmaster-prime Hosan Hirosuke nearly a millennia ago, then acquiring full sentience 202 years ago due to some odd accident; I was never given the full details on how it happened. And Ataru was the fifty-seventh person to have taken the 'Promise of Bunka Go-nen' to help Negako acquire her own body."

A nod. "My father knew Master Hosan," Kurama stated. "It's a pity he was immortal; he would have made quite a father in his own right, much like he was to Earth's own Jewel Warrior many decades ago . . . or so I've heard." She sat back in her chair, and then smiled as she was handed a cup of tea. "What of the other souls that were in Ataru's mind? One was called 'Liú Hóng' by Negako-sama . . . "

"The Xiàolíng Emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty of China, who lived from 156 to 189 in the Common Era," Otako explained. "A very pleasant person, though quite guilt-ridden over what her actions – or inactions – unleashed on that land when she died and her soul was trapped in that magatama jewel Ataru had as a 'good luck charm.'"

Kurama perked. "Oh, the magatama! Yes, I recall that Hensō didn't care too much for him having that. Try as she might, though, she couldn't find a way to make him be rid of it. I even saw him call her a 'monster' right to her face when she tried to electrocute him for refusing to throw it away. She actually cried when he did that to her, though I never knew if she tried to follow up on it." A chuckle. "A fortunate thing, I would believe. Given how boorish his parents are, having a _real_ family around him will do him good. So what of the other person that was within his mind?"

"His own soul fragmented thanks to the presence of both Negako and Hiromi – that is what the spirit of the Xiàolíng Emperor calls herself now, Moroboshi Hiromi – in his mind. The part of him that actually took control of his body when he divorced Hensō now calls herself Moroboshi Tariko, using the characters for 'child from outside the village,'" the Avalonian leader answered. "Very pleasant, but not as classically formal as Hiromi. A tomboy deep in heart; she did have many problems . . . "

A side door opened. "Is someone visiting, Otako . . .?"

Kurama gasped on hearing that aged male voice, and then she turned to look at . . .

"Hello, Elder Ganzo," Otako said with a smile as she gazed fondly at the Liberator.

* * *

The _Yamato_, the executive shuttle hangar deck . . .

"Welcome aboard the _Yamato_, Umezu-taisa."

"Dōmo," Umezu Saburō said as he bowed his head to Ki Tsukihana, who had come aboard the Japanese starship with Hakaru Ayami to greet the officers from both the _Mirai_ and the 801st Squadron as they disembarked from the Star Flare. "So you two are the young miracle workers that made these ships possible, eh?" He then blinked as something came to him. "Do your parents know you've come back to Earth, young man?"

Tsukihana and Ayami blinked, hurt looks crossing their faces. Before they could say anything, a polite cough turned the attention of _Yamato_'s new captain over to Hiromi. "Their parents were kidnapped with them by the Ipraedies, Umezu-taisa," she stated. "Regretfully, none of them made it back to Earth. As for other relatives, Onē-sama has my family's private investigations firm looking into it now."

Saburō blinked, and then he flustered. "Oh, gods! I'm sorry, kids! I didn't know that," he said as he stared at Tsukihana and Ayami. "Well, at least you made it home. And made sure others won't have to go through what you did." He then smirked. "So what say you show us poor seamen and airmen around this big ship of yours?"

"Hai!" both of them chanted, and then Ayami waved them over to a nearby set of double doors located at the forward end of the hangar; the four Star Flares carried aboard the _Yamato_ were housed in their own chambers. "This way, please."

Everyone walked over to the doors, the students from Class 1-4 hanging back from the Self-Defence Force personnel. "Damn! Lot cleaner than the ship Lum-chan's dad has," Perm stated as people looked around. "Remember the mess the hangar deck was in?"

"Yeah, I do," Megane stated, and then he looked over to Sanokura Emi, who had secured the Star Flare after everyone got off. "Hey, Emi-chan! When did you repaint all the shuttles on the ship? The outside still has that U.N. paint job on it."

"When the President of the Republic of Korea announced to Hiromi-sama that each ship of the Earth Defence Force would be controlled by their namesake nations' armed forces, Satoshi-sama, we prepared all the Star Flares and Space Dhows in the proper colours of the Japanese Air Self-Defence Forces. As the Starfires are all stealth fighters, they had to be painted in a very low visibility scheme to allow the national roundels to not stand out against a very dark grey hull." Hearing this, many of the students were quick to note that the pilots from the Airbats were paying close attention to the raven-haired woman's words. "While we know the Air Self-Defence Forces do not make use of stealth aircraft – thus, they have yet to develop a proper low visibility paint scheme for aircraft – we believe what we did to the Starfires will be quite sufficient for the time being." She then stared at the officers from the Airbats. "Would you like to look at the fighters now?" she asked.

"A little later, Emi-chan," Konishi Mitsuru stated. "Since we're going to be partners with the MSDF and the GSDF in running this ship, we might as well get the tour of the main facilities down first before we look in on the fighters."

"Emi . . . "

People perked on hearing that, and then they turned to gaze on _Mirai_'s senior enlisted serviceman, Warrant Officer Asō Yasushi; many of the senior staff of the destroyer had come to the Mendō estate after being summoned up from Yokosuka by their captain to get the chance to tour _Yamato_. He was staring at Emi with narrowed eyes, a flash of recognition showing there. Noting that, Saburō smiled as he looked over. "Asō-san, is there something about our future shipmate you don't like?"

Asō jolted, and then he chuckled. "Sorry, Captain! But Sanokura-san seems incredibly familiar to me. I just can't seem to place her . . . "

Ataru chuckled. "She's based on a video game character . . . "

Hearing that, Asō gasped. "_NOëL_?"

Momoi Sachiko blinked. "'Noël?' That's the French word for Christmas!"

Asō chuckled. "It's also the name of a series of dating simulation games created by Pioneer LDC in the late 1990s, Sensei." He then gazed on Okano Yuka. "Yeah, Okano-san here is from the same series. Damn! Why fashion them _that_ way?"

"That wasn't our choice, good boatswain," Hiromi stated, making Asō blush as she stared in amusement at him. "Emi-chan and Yuka-chan – not to mention all the Avalonians aboard _Yamato_ and _Haida_ at this time – were all created by a rather rabid fan of Japanese video games on Phentax Two who wanted a harem of very beautiful slave girls to serve his every need." As the people hearing this all gasped, the reborn emperor sighed. "It was a total of 417 such girls. We grouped them together according to the series their namesakes came from, then divided them between the ships; 213 on _Haida_ and 203 here on _Yamato_." A sigh. "At least they – unlike their elder sisters – never had to experience some of the degrading things their 'masters' would gladly have put them through. All because they were just 'mere machines.'"

"Damn!" the _Mirai_'s resident military history buff, Chief Petty Officer Yanagi Kazunobu, breathed out as some of the others there shook their heads.

"I trust, my friends, we will treat our new shipmates much better?"

Hearing Saburō's words and noting that Mitsuru was also nodding in agreement, the junior officers, chief petty officers and sergeants of both the _Mirai_ and the 801st Squadron snapped to attention. "HAI!" they all chanted together.

"Taisa-san, would you like to see the combat information centre?" Yuka asked.

Saburō blinked, and then he nodded. "Lead the way, Yuka-san."

"Hai."

"Hiromi, I will deal with Maiko and her friends in Sick Bay."

Hiromi nodded to Negako . . .

* * *

Minutes later . . .

"Damn! This ship ALONE has got the combined navies of the whole PLANET beat!"

Sitting at the primary weapons monitoring station, Lieutenant Yonekura Kaoru – _Mirai_'s former missile officer – was shaking his head as he gazed wide-eyed at the general offensive schematics of the starship he would soon serve on. Standing right behind the man who had panicked and launched an ASROC on an American Gato-class submarine when _Mirai_ had been propelled across the dimensional barriers and back in time to 1942, Kikuchi Masayuki could only sigh. "I trust, Yonekura-taii, that the NEXT time we get into a potential hostile situation, you won't jump the gun and shoot one of the missiles fitted HERE at a defenceless target?" the _Mirai_'s – and now _Yamato_'s – chief weapons officer then stated as he gave his subordinate a knowing look.

Kaoru jerked, and then rapidly nodded. "HAI!"

"Remember, we're dealing with weapons far worse than what was used on Hiroshima and Nagasaki," Masayuki added. "This ship could fire cobalt-tipped warheads with nearly the same explosive power that the Niphentaxians put into the device they hid in Tomobiki. And this ship also has ANTI-MATTER on her. You know how powerful THAT is!"

Kaoru blanched, and then he nodded. "Hai!"

"Why make something THIS powerful, Tsukihana-kun?" Haneda Miyuki then asked; she and the other senior officers of the Airbats had been inspecting the local aerospace control station. "Is this the same type of ship as what's used out there?"

"Hai, Haneda-shōsa," the young genius said; he was seated by the master operations plotting table. "By herself, _Yamato_ could take on and overwhelm an Urusian Kashin-class battlewagon; that's the type of ship Invader commanded at the Tag Race. The Kashin-class is pretty much the trend-setter as capital ship designs come in the Galactic Federation, though the Noukiite Type 402 battle-barque, the Yehisrite Shimanko V-class battle galleon and the Lecasur's Soul-class star destroyer from Vos could easily take them on." He tapped controls before him to produce images of the ships in question, with an image of _Yamato_ – in her future paint scheme as a ship of the Japanese Self-Defence Forces – beside them to offer a comparison.

"Damn!" Oguri Kōhei breathed out. "Those are some really sleek ships!"

"The Noukiites use solar-sail propulsion?"

That was _Mirai_'s former chief engineering officer, Commander Ōshima Nagisa. One of the unsung heroes of the destroyer's trip across the dimensional barriers and back in time, he had worked hard with the supply forces of the Imperial Japanese Navy back in 1942 to keep his beloved ship going despite the total dearth of logistical support a warship like _Mirai_ demanded. Gazing at him from her place in the admiral's chair at the aft end of the plotting table, Hiromi could only smirk. While he seemed just as overwhelmed as his shipmates on coming aboard _Yamato_, Nagisa was clearly looking at everything here with an engineer's eye for detail. "Hai, they do, Ōshima-chūsa," Ayami answered. "It doesn't seem very proficient in comparison to the anti-matter powered warp pulsejet system we copied from the old Sagussans, but it works and works wonders. Ships like the one Hep'p'yech-san controls can fly as fast as Warp 7.5 on the accepted galactic speed scale system. In our measurements, nearly 23,730.5 times the speed of light. Or 7,114,215,556 kilometres per SECOND." As people there breathed out in awe on hearing how fast the ships of Earth's new allies were, Ayami smirked. "Compared to _Yamato_, a ship like the _Hichp'u-ikeng_ – that's the ship Hep'p'yech-san controls that's here now – is a slow tortoise in comparison. With both engines going full ahead at 510 revolutions, _Yamato_ does Warp 14.5. Or 640,973.4 times the speed of light."

"That's 192,158,992,972.3 kilometres per second," _Mirai_'s former senior engineering technician, Chief Petty Officer Tomohisa Torihei, said after he had done a quick calculation on his cell phone. He then breathed out, "That is FAST!"

"One year's travel at full speed would take _Yamato_ 6,064,076,636,622,654,480 kilometres in deep space. Or about 640,973 light-years," Tsukihana stated.

"That's 196,617.6 _**parsecs**_!" Megane stated after he had did his own calculation on his smart phone; all of Class 1-4 had come to the combat information centre with the former crew of the _Mirai_ to begin their own tour of the ship. "Holy SHIT! The galaxy alone is only 36,809.8 parsecs wide! _Yamato_ could cross something like that in DAYS!"

"Actually, sixty-eight days," Ayami stated. "We're working on improvements in the engines to develop a better and more efficient flow-through for the warp energy. We're hoping to improve the performance to make _Yamato_ and her sisterships go Warp 20 at least; three-point-two million times the speed of light. With help from all the knowledgeable warp specialist artisans in the space dockyards that we'll be moving the ship into to get her repainted haze grey to make her a proper warship in the Self-Defence Forces, we should be ready to do a full deep-space trial in a month."

"Why such an emphasis on speed?" Saburō asked from his place at the forward end of the operations plotting table, which Yuka had escorted him to since it was the chair specially reserved for the captain of the _Yamato_. "Would we need it?"

Tsukihana sighed. "When Ayami and I decided to build these ships, we knew that introducing them to Earth would launch a revolution in science, engineering and dozens of other fields of study," he then admitted. "Logically, to get to a parallel level of development to where people like the Urusians or the Ipraedies are at now, the human race would have to have evolved about another four hundred years. Given how easily the Oni were willing to set aside the whole Non-Interference Treaty – it's like the Prime Directive in _Star Trek_; obliging the signatories to never interfere in the development of less-advanced cultures – just to keep the Ipraedies out of this system . . . " A shake of the head.

"We need ships like the _panzershiffe_ the Germans made before World War Two."

Eyes locked on Yanagi Kazunobu. "What do you mean?" Masayuki asked.

A sigh. "The Deutschland-class _panzershiffe_ – 'pocket battleships,' they were called; they were actually a special type of heavy cruiser – were designed the way they were because of the restrictions the Versailles Treaty forced on Germany before the Nazis came to power, Kikuchi-chūsa," Yanagi answered. "The Germans knew from the start that they couldn't overwhelm the British, the French and any other potential enemy by out-producing them. So they designed the ships to be the perfect commerce raiders to draw away enemy naval forces from more important operational zones. Powerful enough to take out anything smaller than them, but fast enough to outrace anything more powerful." He then pointed to the image of _Yamato_. "We're in roughly the same boat now. We're surrounded by potentially hostile forces on almost all sides, all of whom have an overwhelming technological advantage that could even take out the most destructive weapons the Americans, the Russians and the Chinese could use in our defence. We're not prepared to deal with them on an equal playing field. Tsukihana-kun and Ayami-chan understood that. So they built these ships as a small but very fast force of fighting ships and made them quite easy for us to understand and use. Each of them, as Tsukihana-kun just said, could overwhelm any compatible vessel . . . "

"On a one-on-one fight," Masayuki cut in as his eyes widened. "But in case we might be caught off guard by a fleet, we can race out to safety to fight again!"

The others nodded. "Damn! You kids did good!" Mitsuru said, nodding.

"After watching our parents die, what did you expect us to do, Konishi-taisa?"

People perked, and then many visibly winced on seeing the proud, unshed tears now appearing in Ayami's eyes. "Indeed," Hiromi said as she reached over to gently squeeze the younger tōshi's shoulder, and then she took a deep breath. "In the meantime, we came up here to relax and have a little fun. Ayami-chan, Tsukihana-kun, we leave our honoured friends in the Self-Defence Forces in your hands. Try to get some sleep while you're at it, please." She then gazed on her classmates. "Shall we all repair to the forward observation lounge so we can relax and have a late night snack?"

The others all laughed . . .

* * *

A half-hour later . . .

"We never knew about ANY of this!"

"You weren't supposed to, Shinobu-san."

Shinobu blinked as she considered that, and then she sighed as she moved to sit down. All of Class 1-4 – after taking the chance to visit some of the empty crew quarters so they could change into pyjamas – were now seated in _Yamato_'s forward observation lounge, a dome made of transparent aluminum and other elements that was as big as their classroom back in Tomobiki, mounted on the ramparts between the main bridge and Turret "B" forward. "We used to think of dealing with Hensō-chan and all her friends as being fun," Perm then mused before sipping a glass of juice; one of the other Avalonians aboard _Yamato_ who had been named after a character from the _NOëL_ series, Wakura Kotomi, was serving as stewardess tonight. "Watching all those fighter ships race off the _Kashin_ to go dog-fight with Elle's people . . . " A shake of the head. "What the fuck were we thinking of? 'Real war is so intense!'"

"The optimist in me says that Hensō and her friends were actually trying to cushion us from what was going on out in space," Tariko said as she gazed off to port, where _Arizona_ loomed nearby. "The pessimist in me says that even if we beat Hensō in that stupid tag race, the Oni leadership were still measuring us up for invasion."

"You mean like what they tried to pull with the Yizibajohei?" Megane asked.

"Yeah," Ataru's twin breathed out.

"Lana seemed pretty okay to me."

People looked at Ataru. "'Lana?'" Mifune Hideyuki asked.

"Hozan Lana, the President of Uru," Hiromi answered. "Or as he's more formally known, the Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Central Cabinet Command of the United Tribes of Uru. Uru is ruled by a military junta quite like Indonesia was under Suharto . . . or, in an odd way, like ancient Rome was like. You can't be a high government official without having achieved notable rank in the Defence Forces." She sipped her own cup of juice. "When the Empress of Noukiios forced the man to come to Okusei to make him acknowledge Onii-san's decision concerning Paragraph Ten, he was shocked and surprised. Something tells me that whatever information Invader was passing on to him about what his 'daughter' was doing on Earth was being heavily edited."

"Did he accept what your brother said?" Mendō asked.

"Much to his credit, he did. After all, Shūtarō-san, there was a treaty between Uru and Earth concerning the Tag Race and the provisions in Paragraph Ten were part of that treaty. He was actually shocked that no one bothered to tell Onii-san about that before he was taken to Okusei by Kyech-san," Hiromi answered. "Much that he was upset for Invader given what Onii-san did to Hensō-san – I don't believe he understands the truth about Lum-san even now – Lana-daitōryō did realise and acknowledge that Onii-san had every right to do what he did. And it . . . " A sigh. "He concluded that by turning to the Noukiites, Onii-san was making it very clear that he – acting on behalf of all of Earth – would never trust the Oni again. That hurt Lana. Badly."

"But that was the whole point!" Chibi declared.

"True. But we never realised until we met up with Lum-san and her friends how much the Oni as a whole are fascinated by what goes on here on Earth," the reborn emperor stated. "I mean the _normal_ natives of that world. Like the vast majority of the _Kashin_'s crew we all met when we had to deal with Queen Elle not so long ago." She sighed. "Maybe it was an overreaction on Onii-san's part to be so carte blanche about it. Maybe . . . "

"What about that damn cobalt bomb, Hiromi-chan?" Tsuruya Rumiko wondered. "The thing had a design yield of FIVE HUNDRED MEGATONS of TNT! That's enough explosive power to turn the whole Kantō basin into a giant, radioactive extension of Tōkyō Bay! And if the Oni's behaviour towards the Niphentaxians were any indication, there's no doubt in my mind that if news of that thing got out on Uru, they would've just brushed it off!"

Many of the girls nodded in agreement. "Better to be rid of them," Inu Chigaiko added. "If Hensō didn't care enough to warn all of us – especially Shinobu, Mendō and the Stormtroopers – about those idiots under Ōgi spying on all their diaries . . . and all because they wanted to keep those lunatics happy and on their side . . . " A shake of the head. "Better to be rid of them, Hiromi-chan! You said it yourself! They weren't honest with us since day one! Why should we show any courtesy to them in the face of all that?"

A nod. "Aye . . . "

An intercom signal chimed. "Hiromi-sama?"

Hiromi perked. "Yes, Yuka-chan?"

"Hiromi-sama, long distance scanners have detected a small squadron of ten ships, four frigate-class and six corvette-class, now passing the asteroid belt on approach to Earth," Okano Yuka replied from the combat information centre. "The design of these vessels appears to be surplus Urusian Defence Force. Most likely, they're people from the Eo Pirate Kingdom of the planet Konton. A message has gone out to the _Hichp'u-ikeng_. Estimated time of arrival at the Moon's orbit line is twelve minutes."

People gaped. "Sound action stations, Yuka-chan. Alert all ships to assume full defensive readiness state!" Hiromi barked. "I'm coming up there!"

"Hai!"

The reborn emperor was on her feet and racing out of the lounge, her sister and brother right behind her. "C'mon, everyone!" Megane then barked. "We better help."

"HOW?" Gekasawa Kumiko demanded. "We're not military . . . "

"Everyone."

People jerked on hearing that voice. "Negako-san!" Mendō Tachiko exclaimed.

"Follow me to the wardroom," the ninjutsu grandmaster, who had just stepped into the lounge, stated.

The younger people blinked, and then they complied . . .

* * *

The combat information centre . . .

"These people are pirates?"

"Yes," Hep'p'yech stated. The governor of Kesei now stood on the bridge of her own ship, which was pulling away from high orbit over Japan to intercept the incoming squadron of vessels from Konton. "The Eo were rebels against the old Urusian Empire who fled their homeworld five of your centuries ago, Lord Captain. They came towards us in a foolish attempt at conquering us, believing us to be weak and easily overrun. We taught them otherwise; one of the great heroes of the middle Nehech years, the Venerable Lord Admiral Ye-Yi Chusu-Hachhich Hechnich'-Kyesuo, destroyed them all at the Battle of Seueukhek during the reign of the Suhek Emperor of Nehech. This new lot came together in the years following the Urusian Union Revolution that destroyed their old empire and put in their present military government to power two centuries ago."

"Are they legitimate rebels against their government, Governor Tuongta?" Umezu Saburō said. Around him, the current bridge crew of the _Yamato_ – with the former _Mirai_ crew observing them – were preparing the ship for action.

A snort. "No, they are mere thieves and murderers, Lord Captain. Much that the current system of government on Uru has its many deficiencies and weaknesses, it does acknowledge the basic rights of the people to live free and happy. The Eo wish to enslave those who are weaker than them and kill those who seek to oppose them. They are a minor annoyance to us, but people still suffer whenever they sortie from their dustbin of a planet."

"Governor, what are your laws towards piracy?" Kadomatsu Yōsuke asked.

"If caught, they are tried before a military court martial or a planetary civilian court. If found guilty of crimes that caused death, they are executed."

"We don't have laws to deal with this, Yōsuke," Masayuki warned.

The executive officer nodded. "That is part of the reason we established the Imperial Commandery for Earth, Lord Commander," Hep'p'yech stated, a sympathetic look crossing her face. "You are being forced to embrace things you're nowhere close to truly understanding, much less mastering. And at a pace that would drive a normal person mad." A shake of the head. "For that, I am personally sorry."

"Do not apologise, Hep'p'yech-san," Hiromi stated from her place at the aft end of the operations room. "Once the _Kashin_ appeared over the skies of Tomobiki, a day like this was inevitable. It is best to deal with it on our terms, not others."

The Rose Dragon smirked as she gave Hiromi a knowing look. "I assume you wish to deal with them?"

"If you don't mind," the reborn emperor stated with a wink.

A courtly bow. "The battle is yours, Venerable Lady Hiromi."

"You have my thanks, Lady Governor. Kōgetsuei-dono! Bunjaku-dono!"

Tsukihana and Ayami, who had assumed their posts at the master operations control stations on the port side of the CIC, perked. "HAI?"

"Take us out of orbit and plot an intercept course to catch this miserable lot outside Luna's orbit!" Hiromi snarled. "I wish to behold these unworthy creatures that ignore the declarations of _civilised_ people at a whim with my own eyes!"

"HAI!"

Instantly, _Yamato_'s engines began to rumble . . .

* * *

The wardroom . . .

"Holy shit! We're moving out of orbit!"

Hearing Kakugari's gasp, people ran over to gaze out the windows as the darkened curvature of Earth disappeared well to their aft. "What the hell are we doing?" Megane demanded. "We can't fight these bastards! This ship is WAY too undermanned!"

"Calm yourself, Satoshi," a calm voice then stated. "This ship is well-equipped and programmed to deal with the approaching pirate force."

People turned to gaze on Negako, who was seated at the main table, enjoying a cup of tea. "How can you be so calm, Negako-san?" Inoue Tamako demanded. "Those people out there are _pirates_!" she said as she pointed forward. "They're . . .!"

"Be calm, Tamako," Negako cut her off. "The vessels now approaching us are all surplus warships averaging forty years of age. Their armaments are likewise far less advanced than what your peers witnessed on the _Kashin_. Furthermore, their current state of manning is woefully incomplete for vessels of that nature . . . and they do NOT possess the automation _Yamato_ and her sisterships are fitted with. Also, the attacking ships are all frigate- and corvette-class vessels. _Yamato_ is a combination of battleship and aerospace fighter carrier by that ranking system."

"But small ships can cause a big ship harm if they coordinate their attacks, Negako-san," Hideyuki warned. "Just like what the Americans did to sink the old _Yamato_ in 1945."

"True, but we possess the advantage of surprise," Negako stated.

People blinked. "They don't expect us to have these ships, right?"

Eyes locked on Ryūnosuke. "Exactly," the grandmaster stated as she finished her tea, then stood. "Taeko, prepare a late meal for myself, Tariko and Ataru," she then told the young Terran-form Avalonian currently manning the small kitchenette attached to the officer's primary lounge, Adachi Taeko. "Selection 16-C in the food preparation program. Have it ready to go in thirty minutes; we should be done by then."

"Hai," the caramel-eyed girl with freckles on her face and brown hair done in stubby ponytails behind her ears said with a pleasant smile.

"Negako-san! Where are you going?"

Negako stared at Shinobu. "To deal with the pirates, of course."

"With just Moroboshi and Tariko-san?" Mendō demanded. "You'll be killed!"

"Shūtarō, two months ago, we – when we all were within Ataru's body – confronted a force of nearly SEVENTY THOUSAND bandits and highwaymen on the Morningstar Plain on Okusei," Negako stated. "We killed over TWELVE HUNDRED of them to ensure no one could hurt us, Kyech or Hep'p'yech's youngest sister Hup'yech." As jaws dropped in shock and eyes widened in disbelief, Negako gazed calmly at them. "It was either that or we would have ALL died. I did not desire that. Neither did Ataru, Tariko or Hiromi. This is the same situation, so we will respond accordingly. Remain here and do not proceed to other parts of the ship to disrupt operations here until the action is concluded."

She then walked out of the room . . .

* * *

Just beyond the orbit of the Moon . . .

"Two ships approaching us, Boss!"

In his command chair, Pochik Rishu snorted. "So the bone-heads have a couple ships here! Too fuckin' bad! Give me a scan of them!"

"One's a Type 402 battle-barque, Boss!" the man at the main sensor control station said. "The other one . . . " He then blinked. "What the hell . . .?"

"What?"

"The other one's unknown, but she's pumping out tachytron radiation, Boss!"

Silence.

"_Tachytron_ . . .?" Rishu gasped.

"You mean like the Eternal Voyager?" the flag captain demanded.

"Yeah! But it's the same size as a Kashin-class!"

The people on the bridge exchanged horrified looks. The Eternal Voyager was one of the most well-known legends in the local cluster. A ship as large as a fair-sized city, packing firepower that could destroy whole _**solar systems**_ – including paired forward-firing ANTI-PROTON CANNONS that could turn a world the size of Uru or Earth into an asteroid field with ONE SHOT! – that had been travelling the stars since long before the Seifukusu and the Vosians had begun deep space travel two thousand years ago. A ship that went wherever it wanted to go and would not be stopped by any means used against it as the Seifukusu, the Kamahanites and other races had long learned to their costs. A ship that had – while remaining aloof from normal galactic affairs – intervened whenever someone was threatened by either a natural holocaust or a massive armed attack, as the Kamahanites once tried to pull on the Mikado of Vos fifty years before.

Atop that, the Eternal Voyager was a ship that – for reasons that were still not fully known – seemed to collect the bodies of young humanoid women with carbon-based DNA and iron-based blood who had recently died, most likely to either regenerate the corpses to life or clone them and thus populate whatever planet the Voyager called home, thus becoming the mysterious "Maidens of the Eternal Voyager." Two such people known to have became Maidens were the Aruka sisters, Noa and Honii, who had died leading Urusian resistance fighters against the oppressive Seifukusu occupation of their world nine centuries ago. A third was Noa's and Honii's kinswoman, Aruka Syl, the martyred heroine of the Union Revolution; Noa herself had come down to retrieve the fallen Syl.

"Um, Boss . . . "

"What?" a now white-faced Rishu hissed.

"I heard over the news nets that the Avalonians were said to blood-related to the race that lived on the planet of the Maidens BEFORE the Maidens ever got there!" the weapons officer said as he tapped controls to bring up an image of two bright points now approaching their squadron, with the Earth in the background.

More silence.

"That means the Avalonians have the same tech as the Maidens!" the flag captain warned. "And given how pissed off they gotta be at the Federation . . .!"

"Boss!"

People gazed at the man at the communications station. "What?" Rishu asked.

"The unknown's signalling us."

"What are they saying?"

"It's a lady callin' herself Moroboshi Hiromi. She says she's the director of the United Nations Earth Defence Force aboard the Japanese Starship _Yamato_."

Still more silence.

"What does she want?" Rishu asked.

The communications officer gulped. "Our total, unconditional surrender."

* * *

_Yamato_, the operations room . . .

"Um, Director . . .?"

"Hai?"

"Don't you think that's being a little provocative?" the former communications officer of the _Mirai_, Lieutenant Tachibana Shigeru, asked as he stared at her.

Hiromi sighed. "I do not take joy in making them fight, Tachibana-taii," she said as she gazed on the man. "But we cannot afford to allow news of our possessing these vessels – to say anything of our currently woeful state of unpreparedness to use these vessels – to get to Onishuto. It has always been suspected that the Eo are given under-the-table support by the Imperial elements in the Urusian government; they are the slime who wish to turn back the clock to the days before the Union Revolution when the normal citizens of that world were treated no different than serfs in old Europe." A sigh. "If they learned we have these ships, it would constitute an unacceptable threat to them and they will seek to either capture these ships or destroy them. In effect, do ANYTHING to deny us the ability to defend ourselves in case they decide we 'cheated' by 'allowing' the Noukiites to enter this system. Which they have always seen as being under their perogative."

"Like children who cry when their favourite toy is taken away to make them behave or do their chores, you mean," Yōsuke wondered.

A nod. "Aye, Commander. That is apt," the reborn emperor said . . .

* * *

Materialiser Room Two . . .

"Are you both ready?"

"Not really," Tariko calmly said as she finished slipping a pair of well-forged throwing knives into their scabbards hidden in the sleeves of her black gi. "Do we totally waste these idiots or just make them hurt badly?"

"Judge the situation as it comes," Negako stated as she watched Ataru stretch himself. "Ensure the ships cannot escape; you should be able to sense how to eject the warp cores out of the target ships before they could take flight back to Konton."

"Pirates . . . " Ataru hissed, and then he relaxed as Negako came over to gently probe his upper spine. "If they're as bad as what T'ia-chan said . . . "

"It's either the black flag . . . or Hichkyech'eng!" Tariko quipped.

He shuddered. "Ooooh! It's COLD on that planet this time of year!"

Tariko laughed as Negako tried not to roll her eyes at that droll joke that was often made about the ice planet presently serving as Noukiios' top-tier prison. "The materialiser system is ready, Negako-sama," the current controller of the matter-energy transporter unit in this part of the ship, Hosaka Miyuki, announced. "They have yet to raise shields, so we will have no problems beaming you into the target areas, using the remote units in your gi to allow us to lock in and transfer you as required."

"Let us proceed," Negako said . . .

* * *

Nearby . . .

"'_**SURRENDER?**_'"

"That's what she said, Boss!" the communication officer said as he tried not to shrink too much away from the shuddering Rishu, who had bolted up to his feet to glare at the other man after he had made that report. "It's either surrender or she considers the black flag raised and we'll be turned into space dust!"

"Boss, we gotta warn our friends back on Uru about this!" the flag captain said.

Hearing that, Rishu hissed. "Open a hailing fre- . . . "

Suddenly, the whole ship rocked badly as the sounds of large sheets of metal hitting each other echoed through the hull. The whole bridge crew was pitched off their feet from that force, which reminded a lot of them of what happened whenever ships collided in mid-space. As many of the people there began to pale, their eyes and ears scanning around for the tell-tale signs of explosive decompression, the man at the main engineering station crawled back into his chair and scanned what was on the monitor screen there. "BOSS!" he then screamed out. "WE LOST OUR WARP CORE!"

"_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT . . .?**_" Rishu cried out . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Synchronous orbit** is when a spaceship or satellite has an orbital period equal to the average rotational period of the body being orbited, plus moving in the same direction of rotation of the body. Adding the prefix term "**Seleno-**" indicates that the bioroid factory is orbiting the Moon (Selene was the name of an archaic lunar deity worshipped by the Greeks). The **Copernicus Crater** is located in the Oceanus Procellarum ("Ocean of Storms"), which is one of the largest of the lunar mare (seas) forged from ancient basaltic flood volcanic eruptions millions of years in the past.

2) **Taran Reslei** was a character I used in one of my Anime Addventure storylines. Gestation Towers 94 and 95 and the two towers taken over by the survivors of _The Program_ from the _Battle Royale_ universe as noted in _Avalonians and Questors_.

3) The names of _Mirai_'s crew noted here were revealed in both the _Zipang_ manga and anime series. When given names were not revealed, I made them myself. As I'm unaware of how the enlisted rank system works in the Japanese Maritime Self-Defence Forces, I lean heavily on the United States Navy's approach to these matters. Some characters introduced here serving in positions such as the senior engineering staff are my creation.

4) The warp speed measurement system used here uses a fifth power exponent equation to get the actual multiple of the speed of light. For instance, Warp 10 in this system is 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 x 10 or 100,000 times light-speed (29,979,245,800 kilometres per second [107,925,284,880,000 kilometres per hour] or 18,628,200,000 miles per second [67,061,520,000,000 miles per hour or 87,319,687,500 times the speed of sound]).

5) German translation: **Panzershiffe** – Armoured ship. Noukiite translation: **Hichp'u-ikeng** – Memory of Hichp'u.

6) Admiral **Ye-Yi Chusu-Hachhich Hechnich'-Kyesuo** was one of Moroboshi Reiko's genetic fathers as revealed in _The Ishinomaki Years_. The **Battle of Seueukhek** was his greatest victory, though he died in that battle; in effect, the Venerable Lord Admiral is the Noukiite analogue of Yi Sunshin. The **Suhek Emperor of Nehech** (birth-name **Ei-Yi Chuch'a-Heeuch**, ruling name while alive **Hechne**) was another of Reiko's genetic fathers.

7) **Tachytron radiation** is my name for the specific energy fields that form around interdimensional gates.

8) **T'ia** (real name **Seu-Kaech Yech'a-Hap' Hechnich'-Ekche**) is based on the _Koihime Musō_ version of Enjutsu Kōro (childhood name "Miu"), who was first mentioned in the third episode of _Shin Koihime Musō_, "Kōsonsan Fights Enshō," then fully appeared in the seventh episode of that series, "Chinkyū is Taken In by Ryofu." Unlike Miu, T'ia is a very bright and capable officer; she is a rear admiral in the Imperial Navy and currently serves as Commander of the Expeditionary Forces of the Marches, based on the planet Kaechsei (known as "Machibusu" in _The Senior Year_). Like Miu, T'ia is lovers with her fleet captain, **Seu-Nuk Yesu-Sach Hechnich'-Suk'i** (childhood name **Tip'chuo**), who herself is based on the _KM_ version of Chōkun (childhood name "Nanano"), which was that story's version of Zhāng Xūn, one of Yuán Shù's generals.

9) **Hichkyech'eng** was first mentioned in _Phoenix From the Ashes_ Part 40. I was inspired by the concept of Rura Penthe from the sixth _Star Trek_ film, _The Undiscovered Country_, when creating this world. The name means "New Kyech'eng" and is named after the Noukiite analogue to the county of **Yodŏk** in South Hamgyŏng Province of North Korea. This is the site of **Penal Labour Colony #15**, one of the locations used by the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to imprison lifetime political prisoners.


	17. The Master's Avatar

Aboard one of the other ships in the Eo force . . .

_So the Terrans were quick to accept gifts from the Avalonians to better defend themselves against slugs like this! How perfect . . .!_

"His" birth name in this life was T'u-Kaech Yesu-Sungsyech.

"His" so-called "friends" knew their shipmate as Pienkan Dieukhan.

Which proved how _stupid_ these people actually were.

The family name "Pienkan" didn't exist on Uru.

In her first life three thousand years before as Seu-Kaech Yesu-Seuch Hechnich'-Kyeyek, Sungsyech had been a minor official who had worked for the slowly-collapsing government of Ait'uch Nehech . . . and who would later ally herself with the Black Dragon of the North to eventually make possible the successor kingdom that seized control of the northern continent of Noukiios, though she never lived to see it established under the Black Dragon's second daughter, the Muone Seukte Empress of Eap'ye. Like over nine thousand others of the Flower Youth of old, Sungsyech had been spared – though she personally never saw such as a fortunate thing – the trip to the Pool of Reincarnation to face the Ch'uoeuk's judgement, but would be born again. But in this life, she was a half-Noukiite, half-Urusian farmer's daughter from the world of Kegusei – known as "Baiseki" to the Oni – on the very frontiers of the Imperial Dominion. There, she had lived a quiet life as the only child of a hardworking couple who had the fortune to actually own a family plot of land in lieu of being forced to be sharecroppers for the wealthier pureblood Noukiite landlords of the planet.

Still, Sungsyech had managed to retain both her intelligence and scholarly knowledge from her first life, thus allowing her the chance to advance from the farm to undertake the Imperial Civil Service examinations – which she had gained entrance to thanks to her intelligence alone; at the time, half-bloods weren't normally permitted the privilege to take the _Eu'e_ unless they were VERY smart or had the proper blood relationship to the many noble families of Nehech – and eventually won the attention of a former enemy from old Hichp'u: Eyu-Na Yesu-T'yekp'it', then a ranger captain in the Imperial Central Intelligence Agency and an up-and-coming leader of that deadly troop of spies, saboteurs, field scouts and special warriors who were the silent hand of the Throne of Muchach against all enemies of the Imperial Dominion. And it was T'yekp'it' who had persuaded Sungsyech to take a very special assignment: Infiltrate the new group of Eo pirates that had come to colonise the desert world of Konton.

Sungsyech was subjected to special genetic modification which granted her shape-changing powers, thus allowing her to create a male Urusian body for herself and thus – with the help of the psychic powers she had as an Avalonian – pass unnoticed by any Oni as she made her way to the planet Eiranha and eventually won the attention of a recruiter for one of the Eo's more prominent leaders, Pochik Rishu. Using her skills in warp engineering – a valuable commodity to the Eo – she managed to get the small fleet of decrepit and aged frigates, corvettes and warp-capable star-fighters to some semblance of working order, thus helping her new "allies" go out to raid cargo ships and other such craft that had the ill-luck to pass close to Konton and won the attention of the pirate groups based there. Of course, such ships normally originated from any of the Galactic Federation worlds closes to Noukiios; Noukiite ships normally were armed or went with escorts when it was suspected that the Eo were on the hunt.

Fortunately for her, her ship had not been involved in any major fight with the Expeditionary Forces of the Marches, led by a pureblood cousin of Sungsyech in both her first life and this life, the Lady Rear Admiral Seu-Kaech Yech'a-Hap' Hechnich'-Ekche.

But now . . .

"THE WARP CORE'S GONE! WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED?"

"Sealing off all energy conduits!" Sungsyech said as "he" tapped controls at the systems monitoring station in the main engine room. "If we don't seal off the anti-matter tanks, we'll go up like a supernova! Get everyone out of here, Toth!"

The ship's chief engineer, Seq Toth – he was also the direct liaison between Rishu's pirate force and the government in Onishuto, in the person of his own distant kinsman, Chief of Staff General Seq Yethis – nodded. He had been given the post of the chief of the engineers on this ship because of his blood connections to the leader of the Imperial Round, not because of any decent engineering skills; he left the day-to-day running of the ship's systems to "Dieukhan" since "he" had the knowledge and the tolerance to handle such things . . . and was respectful of his betters to not raise any sort of stink about Toth's stupidity. "Thanks, Dieu! I'll get you some . . .!"

He then gasped as a barely-visible hand snared him by his long hair, and then yanked him off the deck to send him flying against a nearby support beam. Sungsyech winced as she heard bones break, and then turned around as the other pirates in the engineering room yanked out their weapons and aimed at the hazy figure in solid black that had just appeared in their midst. "A boarder! Kill him!" one screamed as he fired his pistol.

Bolts of energy slammed into the figure, making him cry out in shock as he collapsed to the deck. Gazing down at him, Sungsyech was quick to note that he was Terran, of the sub-race calling themselves "Oriental," with shaggy brown hair and brown eyes. Realising who he was, she paled as one of the others peered intently at the fallen attacker. "I'll be damned! That's that tailless monkey Moroboshi!"

The others blinked. "How the hell did HE get here?" another demanded.

"I dunno!" a third stated. "But if we haul his carcass back to Onishuto and make him apologise to Lum for what he did to her, we'll be hailed as heroes!"

Laughing, another pirate walked over to grab the Terran by the head . . .

. . . just as his whole body began to smoke.

"What the HELL . . .?" one pirate gasped as the room temperature dropped . . .

* * *

_Yamato_ . . .

"Onii-san . . . no . . .!"

"Director!" Kadomatsu Yōsuke gasped as Hiromi collapsed from her chair . . .

* * *

_Hichp'u-ikeng_ . . .

"Oh, merciful Lord of Heaven! Not _again_ . . .!"

People on the bridge of the battle-barque turned to gaze wide-eyed at Hep'p'yech as she stared at the image of the badly-crippled Eo ships on the view screen . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home . . .

"Ataru . . . "

At'at'at' blinked as she looked over. "What is it . . .?"

In a flash of bright flame, the Dragonspeaker teleported from the guest house, leaving behind a confused At'at'at' and a pair of wide-eyed junior high school students attending Keppeki Girls' Junior High, who had been watching late night television . . .

* * *

Aboard another of the Eo ships . . .

"Oh, delightful . . . "

«What the hell is that moron doing, Onē-san?»

Negako, who had rapidly disabled all the pirates aboard this one frigate after ejecting the warp core from the hull, could only shake her head. "He must have encountered something that reminded him a little too much of events on Morningstar Plain, Tariko," she said as she tapped her communicator, which was fixed to her belt. "Miyuki, lock materialisers on all the people on the ship I am on, and then beam them into the holding chambers aboard the _Yamato_. Then take me to where Ataru is."

"Right away, Negako-sama," Hosaka Miyuki replied . . .

* * *

Aboard Sungsyech's vessel . . .

"Oh, Lord of Heaven . . . "

Now on her knees as she stared wide-eyed at the dark and demonic creature that had just boarded her ship, Sungsyech could only remain frozen as said being got back to his feet, and then slowly turn to gaze upon the wide-eyed, pale-faced Eo pirates that were there. "**Nice try . . . **" this being then said in a voice that rang with a very noticeable metallic twang from a jaw that seemed only composed of a steel skull, missing the flesh, tongue and lips that normal humanoids took for granted when they spoke.

" **. . . but no chichi bear**," the being then said before he lunged.

One of the pirates – the one who had boasted about taking Moroboshi Ataru back to Uru to make him pay for his hurting Hensō – cried out in mortal fear as a hand made of metal and wires snared him by the neck, boosted him off the deck, and then pitched him back-first into a wall with the speed of a thrown fastball. The impact of mere flesh against unyielding metal unleashed a loud chorus of shattered bones and torn flesh as the hapless Oni's spine was shattered in dozens of places and the back of his head was caved in to crush his brain. As he slowly sank to the deck with a streak of blood marking his passage, the other pirates all screamed out as they levelled their weapons and opened fire, deluging their deadly attacker in a storm of pulse lasers.

"**Pathetic!**" the creature then said with a disdainful voice . . .

. . . as his crystal-like left eye glowed star-bright, unleashing burning beams of energy that punched through the faces of his attackers like a .50 calibre BMG round fired from a Barrett M-82 sniper rifle hitting someone at near-point blank range. Sungsyech winced as she watched them drop to the decks, their heads crushed and burned by the impact from the mysterious attacker's eye-weapon, and then she jolted on hearing a roaring voice echo from the main corridor leading to the ship's bridge. "_**DIE!**_"

She turned as a growling Pochik Rishu lunged into the room . . .

. . . before someone dove down from the deckhead to slam the attacking pirate leader's jaw right into the deck, breaking it. A gurgled scream of pain escaped the poor man before the agony of his shattered jaw made him pass out as the woman who had just ambushed him got to her feet and turned to gaze on the first boarder.

"Ataru . . . was _this_ necessary?"

A hollow breath escaped that demonic face as a metal hand pointed at a moaning Seq Toth, who was trying to pick himself off the deck, his head still ringing loudly from being pitched into a support beam. "**That thing there is the fellow who's been ensuring that whatever intelligence bastards like Rei's uncle gather on Noukiite shipping gets to his leaders so they can attack and kill innocent civilians, On****ē****-san,**" the creature then stated as he turned to gaze with that hideous visage on Toth, who was coming to stare wide-eyed at the beast that had just killed off most of his engineering crew without taking any injury himself. "**I think turning him over to T'yekp'it' should make her and all her friends in the **_**Noangnakkuk-nekk'ek'a**_** very happy. Not to mention allow **_**that**_** one to go home finally to be with her family and friends on Kegusei**."

Negako blinked, and then she looked over at Sungsyech, which made her blush. "Yes, that is true. I do believe you may assume your true form."

The disguised half-Noukiite intelligence officer blinked, and then she smiled as she stood up, concentrating as she felt her body shift back to her birth-form. "Is the Lady Chief Administrator Ekach anywhere close by, Venerable?" she asked, making Toth gargle in shock as he found himself staring at what was clearly a _woman_ with the obvious signs of Noukiite ancestry on her face: bony forehead ridges and farmer's caste tattoos on her cheeks . . . though she ALSO had Oni horn-buds on the upper sides of her head above her now-rounded ears. "I report to her ultimately."

"Hep'p'yech's flagship, the _Hichp'u-ikeng_, is in this system. T'yekp'it' is aboard," Negako stated. "What is your name?" she then asked. "Your true name, of course."

She smiled. "I am T'u-Kaech Yesu-Sungsyech of Kegusei, Venerable. In my first life, I was Seu-Kaech Yesu-Seuch Hechnich'-Kyeyek of Ait'uch Nehech . . . "

"TRAITOR!"

She gasped as Toth surged to his feet . . .

. . . and then blinked as half his head exploded from a bolt of energy that had sliced into his left ear. As the now-dead Oni dropped to the deck, the curious sound of mechanical legs then echoed through the room. "**Now, now, now . . . **" the transformed Ataru then said he walked over to stand before Sungsyech, reaching down with a hand to gently take hers so he could give her a courtly "kiss" with his closed jaw. As she turned a very bright red in embarrassment, he then relaxed as a curious cold fire seemed to consume him for a moment. " . . . there's no need to threaten a very beautiful woman like this," he added as he emerged from the fire, once more fully human and in his normal fighting gi. As he winked playfully at the now-quite flustered Noukiite intelligence officer, Ataru then sighed. "Anything else, Onē-san?"

"No," the ninjutsu grandmaster stated. Hearing that toneless voice, Sungsyech felt the instant urge to flee as far from this mysterious woman – a sister Avalonian, she could sense – as she could. "But I WILL take you during Golden Week out into the country so I can correct all these horrible habits you have acquired since I was allowed to finally gain my own body. This should have been done WITHOUT resorting to the Cyborg's power. You KNOW how your transforming into that hurts Hiromi, Ataru."

Ataru winced. Negako was quite calm when it came to instructing prospective martial arts, but she had her tolerance limits as well. "They were here to kidnap Avalonians to have sex-slaves, Onē-san," he then hissed. "I felt it in that creep's brain when I touched him." He nodded to the dead Toth with his chin before he gazed once more on Sungsyech. "Lucky thing you had the ability to disguise yourself. If people found out the truth . . . "

"They are witless fools, Venerable," she stated as she gazed in amusement at a moaning Rishu, who was quaking in helpless rage as he tried to fight off the overwhelming pain from his jaw. "I used the name 'Pienkan Dieukhan' when I infiltrated them." She then pulled his hand closer to her as she grasped it with her other hand, giving him an affectionate look. "Anyone on Uru would gladly tell you that the name 'Pienkan' doesn't exist in Urusian."

Ataru smirked, and then he blinked as he remembered something. "'T'u-Kaech Yesu-Sungsyech?' Any relation to the Seu-Kaech or Eyu-Kaech of Kaechsei?"

"Distant relations, Venerable," she stated, surprised by that question. "In this life, I am about twenty generations removed from the line that created the Sacred True Bone Lady Rear Admiral Ekche and the Sacred True Bone Lady Governor K'echte."

A sigh. "Unlucky you. If you were _Seup'uk_ in your first life, you should be the same in this life." Ataru then smirked. "Well, Aip'-chan's here, so we can get that fixed up in about a half-hour. But we need to clean up the garbage first."

He drew a Lawgiver out from – well, _somewhere!_ – and handed it to her pistol-grip first. "Why, Venerable, you ARE a gentleman!" she said with a coy voice as she took the offered Zephyrite-built weapon and allowed her thumb to rest on the security tab beside the safety switch, thus allowing the on-board targeting computer to scan her DNA and acknowledge her as the pistol's designated user. She then walked over to the still-moaning Rishu . . . and then, with a smirk, she delivered a harsh kick to his side under his ribs, which made him cry out before the agonising pain emanating from his shattered jaw made him nearly pass out. "By the Edict of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress of the Imperial Dominion, Pochik Rishu of Uru, you are now my prisoner. If you're lucky, after you're dragged in front of the military magistrates on Chuttusei and declared guilty of your all-too many crimes against the citizens of the Imperial Dominion and other sentient beings across the local cluster, you'll be drawn and quartered until you are dead in this life and sent to face the Ch'uoeuk's most righteous judgement at the Pool of Reincarnation." She then smirked. "If you're _unlucky_, you'll be spending time as a guest of the High Warlord of Her Imperial Majesty's Most Noble Commandery of _Hichkyech'eng_! Having your mind _reprogrammed_ to ensure you never harm another being again . . . not to mention be _mind-raped_ so that every ounce of information concerning what you know of your brother Eo will be obtained, then put to use to finally see your 'kingdom' of _ch'ek-uo_ finally put down!"

Rishu moaned before passing out . . .

* * *

_Yamato_, the ship's holding cells, a half-hour later . . .

"Damn! Scary-lookin' fucks, aren't they?"

"They sure are that," Megane said as many of the people from Class 1-4 gazed on the gathered prisoners now locked up in the two-dozen cells set aside for malcontents located near the physical centre of the Japanese starship. All of them looked dazed and confused; clearly, all of them had been just overwhelmed by the suddenness of the attack on their ships, not to mention the sheer success of the mission taken by "lesser" beings (in their eyes) to take them down. "Thinkin' they're the damned princes of the universe . . . then having Negako-san, Ataru and Tariko teach 'em otherwise." A smirk. "No fuckin' great loss."

"Amen to that, dude," Kakugari said with a nod. "Amen to that . . . "

"What the hell do you tailless monkeys know about anything?"

Hearing that challenge from the former flag captain of Rishu's command ship, the Terrans all smirked. "We know a lot more than what arrogant _relav'sh_ such as you would believe," Hiromi then said, causing many of the Urusians in the cells to scream in outrage as their minds registered that vile insult she just gave them. "And now, you and your kind will have no chance in the future to stop us from achieving our _true_ destiny! Which is to expand into the stars, forge our own colonies and ensure the future of humanity! BEYOND the influence of such _lesser_ beings like yourselves!" As the Urusians all screamed out vile profanities at her for being addressed as "lesser" than _Terrans_, the reborn emperor smirked as she sensed someone come up. "Ah, Kyech-san! I trust you weren't hurt when you came to assist us in putting down these rabid creatures?" she asked as many of the prisoners all gasped on noting that their jailers had been joined by none other than She Who Speaks to Dragons.

"I was not hurt," Kyech calmly stated. "The other prisoners were taken aboard the _Hichp'u-ikeng_ after the last of them surrendered. All the bodies of those Ataru killed on Rishu's flagship have been collected as well." Ignoring the horrified gasps from Hiromi's classmates on hearing that her brother had KILLED just now – that echoed by looks of disbelief from many of the imprisoned pirates; they had heard of how much Moroboshi Ataru _loathed_ to get involved in a fight – the Dragonspeaker took a deep breath. "Hep'p'yech is having Toth's corpse impaled on a stake and crucified so that it can be returned to Onishuto; she's already contacted T'ia to have Tip'chuo bring her command ship here to pick it up so it can be done before the corpse starts to decompose." An amused smile then crossed her face. "T'ia likes Lana very much; she calls him 'Mister Cuddly Bear' all the time." As Hiromi laughed, Kyech added, "He won't be offended if she came with Toth's body to Revolution Square to have it displayed even if Toth's own cousin serves as Lana's chief of staff."

"It is to be expected," Hiromi breathed out.

"_**WAIT!**_"

Both turned to look at a wide-eyed Miyake Shinobu. "Didn't Onē-sama explain what happened to us on Morningstar Plain, Shinobu-san?" the reborn emperor then asked as she gave her brother's former girlfriend a sympathetic look. "He . . . "

Suddenly, the sounds of metal gears echoed through the air, that making Hiromi gasp as the other members of Class 1-4 began to look around. "What the hell's that?" Perm then asked. "That sounds like a labor from _Patlabor_! Hey, Hiromi-chan, do you . . .!"

"**It's just me, K****ō****suke**."

People jerked on hearing that metallic voice, and then they turned . . .

. . . before they all froze on seeing what was now walking up from them, escorted by a calm Negako and an annoyed Tariko. "Ataru-kun . . . " Shinobu eeped.

"Moroboshi . . . " Mendō gasped.

"Holy fuck! What happened to you, man?" Ryūnosuke demanded.

Stopping close to his new classmate, the half-machine, half-human cybernetic entity that was still clearly recognisable as Moroboshi Ataru seemed to think about it for a moment, and then he dipped his head to imitate a smile, closing his still-human right eye – his left had been replaced by a glowing sensor-orb of some type of crystal, that embedded on a skull-like visage that took up three-quarters of his visible face under his hair – for a second. "**If you knew how I can become something like this, Ry****ū****nosuke, I would be very grateful to you**," he then said, a noticeable fatigue appearing in his voice even if it echoed with the metal of his jaw. Taking a deep breath – which sounded like something being sucked into some sort of wind-tunnel – he then turned to gaze upon the prisoners, all of whom were as white as ghosts on seeing such a hideous-looking being standing there. "**Hey, Kyech . . . **"

The Dragonspeaker perked. "Yes, Ataru?"

"**What should we do to these idiots' friends back on Konton?**" Ataru then asked, his still-human eye flashing with mischievousness, which some of the girls in Class 1-4 were quick to pick up on. "**Ask Relota-chan to get all her friends on **_**Yiziba**_** . . . **" He paused as a chorus of horrified screams escaped the prisoners on his mentioning THAT planet. " **. . . to have a Mother of All Fight Scenes happen on Konton . . . **" He paused again as the screams turned into pained wailing indicative of mortal terror. " **. . . or simply wait until I actually travel to Sagussa and assume my place as the **_**Euk Hisehek**_** as Nap'i believes I will become soon enough?**" He then gazed on the prisoners. "**Or to borrow the phrase these **_**mei'aidoei**_** like to use . . . the Chosen One of the Eternal Voyager!**"

That caused the pirates all to freeze as they gazed in shock and disbelief at the transformed Terran tag race champion. "Well, they'll all be facing the Ch'uoeuk one way or another," Kyech calmly stated as she turned to stare on the prisoners, all of whom began to tremble as her own eyes began to glow. "**After all, allowing rabid **_**ch'ek-uo**_** to run loose in this galaxy is a most uncivilised thing to do**," she declared in a booming voice that echoed with divine power. She then gazed on Ataru. "**I'll go visit Yiziba . . . **" – she tried not to smile as the prisoners all began to scream out once more on hearing THAT name – " **. . . and ask around if they want to do a fight scene on Konton. I don't think unleashing what was unleashed on Uru two hundred-and-fifty years ago is ultimately necessary to exterminate these unworthy beings. They hardly number more than a million. Doctor Death alone could exterminate them all within an hour. And within the greater scheme of things, the deaths of such unworthy beings . . . ultimately don't matter.**" With an amused giggle that was mixed with the throaty rumbling sound of a dragon cackling, the Dragonspeaker then walked off.

"**A fitting end for their kind, as Bruce Wayne might say it**," Ataru mused as his good eye narrowed in veiled amusement before he turned to walk off.

"WAIT!"

He stopped, then looked back. "**Yes?**"

"You must stop her!" Rishu's flag captain then pleaded. "You can't let her go to That Place and make They Who Must Not Be Named attack our planet! We can't defend ourselves against their kind! You're supposed to be a peaceful man, Moroboshi! If you do this, you'll be forever remembered as a monster! You'll be hated and feared . . .!"

"**By **_**Oni**_**?**"

The man stopped as Ataru seemed to stare knowingly at him. "**That's something I don't think any of your kind ever truly realised**," the transformed Terran tag race champion stated. "**You're **_**Oni**_**. In other words, to me and all my friends here . . . **" He waved to his classmates. "** . . . you're all DEMONS! You're all EVIL in our eyes! One of my people's favourite holidays is **_**Setsubun**_**, where we chase the Oni out of our homes and work places to cleanse it of bad luck!**" He cackled, a sound that echoed like a machine gun firing in this place. "**Blame Hens****ō**** –**** that's the girl you all think of as 'Lum' – for making me like this. Since I couldn't use normal means to chase her out of my life and remove your kind's influence from Earth, I had to embrace the power of the Avalonians' GOD OF DEATH to destroy her and those who followed her! So why should I care what _Oni_ think?**"

His hand then shot out . . .

. . . and then people screamed out as he reached THROUGH the energy barrier to snare the flag captain by the throat, yanking him over to impact the barrier and electrocute him. "**After all, don't you know the old Noukiite saying, 'Treat someone like a pariah and he BECOMES a pariah?' All you could see in me is a stupid skirt chaser who ran away from everything that threatened him. None of you ever realised that by treating me that way, you were just setting yourselves up for THIS . . .!**"

His fingers tightened, snapping the hapless prisoner's neck as the sharp metal forming his hands ripped through the veins and arteries in that part of the body, allowing sprays of blood to shower over the other pirates trapped there. Clearly having just killed a man with the same lack of emotions crushing a cockroach provoked, Ataru then let the dead flag captain go, ignoring the body as it collapsed to the deck, blood pooling around him and burning against the barrier keeping them imprisoned there. "**So don't blame me for what Kyech is going to unleash on your collective worthless hides,**" Ataru stated as he turned to leave. "**You only have your own stupidity to blame for what will happen next. Have a nice time on Hichkyech'eng. I hear it's really COLD on that planet this time of year!**"

As the pirates all looked stunned at the sight of their dead flag captain, the transformed Ataru walked away. "When the _impaled_ and _crucified_ body of your friend Seq Toth is delivered to Onishuto to be displayed on Revolution Square, that should be enough to make sure that none of your pathetic kind will EVER come back to our world again," Hiromi stated. "But should others like you make the mistake you made . . . " She turned away. "Onii-san is more than ready to deal with them. Let's go, everyone."

With that, all the Terrans moved to leave save Negako. The ninjutsu grandmaster gazed in amusement at the imprisoned Oni, and then she shook her head. "If you should ever engage in such actions after your release from Hichkyech'eng – however SMALL such a chance actually is given what happens to inmates in that prison – try to remember to gather ALL intelligence on a potential target before attacking," she said before turning away. "You will then not risk suffering such _embarrassments_ in the future."

The pirates watched her go, all speechless . . .

* * *

The wardroom, Thursday 11 March, just after midnight . . .

"Fuckin' stone cold or WHAT?"

Megane sighed. "You got that right, man," he said.

"How is it possible?"

Eyes locked on Mendō Tachiko. The _Yamato_ had returned to her standard place in orbit over Japan; the prisoners seized by the Moroboshi siblings and the Noukiites were now aboard the _Hichp'u-ikeng_ for processing and eventual transfer to Hichkyech'eng. The Self-Defence Forces personnel that had come aboard – now that they didn't have to worry about fighting a SPACE BATTLE against the pirates of the Eo without any sort of decent training with their new ship's systems – were taking the chance to better learn what their new command was like. Negako herself intended to get back to the ship's medical station to look in on Matsudamasu Maiko and her companions as soon as she had finished her meal.

"That is not fully known, Tachiko," Negako stated as she and Tariko enjoyed the late meal that Adachi Taeko had created for them. Ataru was currently in his guest cabin washing up; the pretty Terran-form Avalonian patterned after one of the characters from _Sentimental Graffiti_ would deliver his meal to him in his room before he went to bed. "What is known – even to me – is that when he was six, about three months prior to my insertion into his head, Ataru encountered a woman from the planet Sagussa. One of the _Daishi'cha_, the 'great birth mothers' who were retrieved as just-perished corpses by a ship called the Gatherer, then restored to true life and augmented genetically to give her the standard Sagussan psionic powers."

Everyone blinked. "Holy . . .!" Kakugari gasped. "Why the heck would a ship go around and pick up DEAD WOMEN? I don't get it! And would . . .!" He then paled.

Negako sighed. "I believe the original purpose was to obtain the bodies since their being dead would ensure that those still-living relatives would not interfere in their being taken to Sagussa to be literally reborn. And from what I could conclude – from both Ataru's memories of his contact with these people and what I learned through both Tsukihana and Ayami – the _Daishi'cha_ were literally restored to true life, as living as you or I. A form of bioroid no different than any Avalonian, in fact."

"It's still weird," Koi Shinjin noted before sipping his tea.

"Indeed, it would be by your standards, Shinjin," Negako stated. "Anyhow, this woman – whom, I now believe, was Ran's kinswoman Aruka Noa in her first life – had come to Earth seeking out a _Daimon'cha_ to eventually mate with her and her sister _Daishi'cha_. _Daimon'cha_ means 'great first father;' it is this concept that eventually gave birth to the legends and mythologies of the 'Chosen One of the Eternal Voyager' that the Oni and other races who are aware of the Gatherer now believe in." As people nodded, she said, "Due to her lack of experience in dealing with organic sentients, Noa – or 'Ai-chan' as Ataru called her; her _Daishi'cha_ sequential number, in Sagussan, would be read as _ai'oai-uo'oe-ei'oa-io'o-ei_ or 'Nineteen thousand, two hundred-and-eighty-two' – was accosted by several bōsōzoku who were passing through Tomobiki town park at the time. Ataru was there and he demanded the bōsōzoku leave the 'pretty girl' alone."

Laughter filled the room. "Damn! That's Ataru, alright!" Megane said before he snickered. "Always willin' to do anything for a pretty face!"

Negako tried not to smirk. "Naturally, the bōsōzoku did not take too kindly to Ataru intruding on their efforts to 'hit' on Noa, so they moved to attack him. Noa – who believed strongly that children must be protected from any sort of abuse or threat – intervened, drawing a weapon similar to a Lawgiver to chase them off. Naturally, they fled." As the people there all laughed again, she sipped her tea. "Ataru then moved to give her a rose he had plucked from one of the flower gardens in the park. When presented with the rose, Noa then said this . . . " A pause. "'What is the logic of presenting me a flower?'"

Silence.

"Why would she say something like THAT?" Chigaiko demanded.

"Noa and her sister _Daishi'cha_ were like Taeko here," Negako stated as she waved to Taeko, who had come up to bring more tea for Tariko. "When they were reborn, they were not allowed to physically or emotionally mature as naturally-born people endure during childhood. Thus, because the controlling sentiences involved in the Grand Design were a pair of supercomputers, they sought to emulate them. Which meant . . . "

"No emotions."

That was Tariko. "So what happened then?" Rumiko asked.

"Noa observed Ataru over the following week. She was clearly struck by how kind he was, especially to any woman who passed by. I do believe he even encountered Sakura on one occasion," Negako stated. "Remembering her original mission, she then concluded that Ataru might actually serve as a good candidate to become a _Daimon'cha_ on Sagussa. So she approached him, explained that she represented a group of 100,000 pretty women who wanted to meet him . . . " A smirk. "And in his youthful naïveté, he agreed."

"Oh, my God . . .!"

People gazed on Shinobu. "What is it, Shinobu-chan?" Momoe asked.

"Ataru-kun disappeared for two whole months back when he was six years old," his former girlfriend stated. "Everyone was in a panic over it, even his parents. Then one day, he appeared back at the house, as healthy as one could be . . . "

"Stating to any who asked him that he visited a planet of pretty women," Negako finished for Shinobu. "He was on Sagussa the whole time, Shinobu. Transported there by Noa aboard the Gatherer to meet her sister _Daishi'cha_. And while he was there, he came to influence them in ways the central intelligences of the Gatherer and the Chamber of Eternity – that's the ground base on Sagussa where the _Daishi'cha_ then resided – could never hope to do." A smiled. "He taught them how to emote. A smile, a laugh, tears of sadness, anger, desire, jealousy, all the emotions you take for granted. As the _Daishi'cha_ are all as empathic as any Avalonian – and Ataru himself is quite empathic in his own right – they soaked all that emotional knowledge up very quickly."

"So where have they been all this time, Onē-sama?"

People gazed on Hiromi, who was standing by a window enjoying her own tea. "Hiromi . . . " Tariko whispered before shaking her head.

"You HATE them?" Ryūnosuke asked.

A sigh. "No, I don't hate them, Ryūnosuke-san. But I am angry at them for just returning Onii-san back to Earth and then literally DISAPPEARING from his life like they did!" the reborn emperor stated. "When we were on Okusei, Nap'i-san – she's a very close friend of Lum-san's and Benten-san's – was asked to do a full psychic examination of Onii-san in the wake of Onē-sama's, Onē-san's and my removal from his mind. In that examination, she discovered the buried memories of Onii-san's visit to Sagussa all those years ago. And declared that he . . . " A shake of the head.

"What?" Chibi asked.

"That Onii-san had the _Techt'yek_. Or as it would be addressed in Mandarin, the _Tiānm__ìng_," the reborn emperor stated as she gazed on her classmates.

"The Mandate of Heaven."

Jaws dropped . . .

* * *

The _Hichp'u-ikeng_ . . .

"You have wandered alone for years, sister. Now you are returned to us," Aip' stated. "Rise and be recognised, Lady Ranger Seu-Kaech Yesu-Seuch Hechnich'-Kyeyek."

Her cheeks stinging lightly after having her _Seukhe-T'up'hu_ horned oxen-head caste tattoos removed and replaced by the blooming flowers of the _Seup'uk_, Sungsyech slowly stood up, and then bowed her head to T'yekp'it', who was unashamedly crying at the sight of a co-worker from the Imperial Central Intelligence Agency having returned to her people from a very risky mission, alive and well. "My Lady Chief Administrator, I await orders," she said as she gave the other woman a fist-in-palm salute.

T'yekp'it' took a deep breath. "Return to your home on _Kek'p'yak-ch'ehek_, Lady Ranger Kyeyek," she bade. "Your beloved parents worry deeply about you and feared your death far from the soil of your birth world. Once you have spent a fortnight with your family, you are to report to me on _Ke-ch'ehek_ for your next mission." She then gazed on Ataru, who was standing nearby, having washed up from his excursion aboard the Eo ships to get rid of the blood of the flag captain he had killed in _Yamato_'s brig while as the Cyborg, though he had been happy to accept Hep'p'yech's invitation to board her flagship so he could witness Sungsyech's re-baptism as one of the Flower Youth. "You will serve as our agency's liaison to the family of the Venerable Lord Moroboshi Ataru and his siblings, including the future Director of the United Nations Earth Defence Force, the Most Venerable Lady Moroboshi Hiromi. The Terrans, who have suffered unjustly at the hands of the so-called 'civilised' races of the Galactic Federation over the last half-year their time, need as much guidance and knowledge in the ways of space beyond their world as can be given as quickly as possible. You will grant it."

"It will be as you command, My Lady," Sungsyech stated, and then she turned to bow low to Ataru, who returned that with his own bow. "My Venerable Lord Moroboshi."

"Lady Ranger Kyeyek," he said, and then he blinked as he felt something whisper to him from deep within his mind. As his left eye began to glow – though his whole body didn't begin that terrible transformation into the Cyborg that Hep'p'yech, T'yekp'it' and Aip' had first witnessed on Morningstar Plain two months before – he then walked up to gently cup her chin with his hand, making her gaze into his eyes.

"_Konghpogh va-songhnimgh-ha'cha do_," he then declared.

Sungsyech gasped as the other Noukiite-turned-Avalonians all gaped at that firm declaration in the ancient tongue of Sagussa. "My Lord . . . " she whispered, and then bowed her head. "_Marha do-konghpogh uigh, doghma do va_," she then answered in the language of a world she had never walked upon but whose language her body had been programmed to speak long before she awoke on the first day of her second life.

Ataru smiled as his left eye returned to normal. "Would you like to attend me aboard the _Yamato_ this evening, Lady Ranger? A humble warrior such as I would consider it a high honour to host such a brave servant of Her Imperial Majesty as you."

Her cheeks flamed in profound embarrassment as her hair – which naturally was a shaggy mass of medium blue that went to her neck – began to wildly change colours; while she had been very thoroughly trained to master her metamorphic abilities, all her sense of discipline was flying out the nearest airlock at the thought of the _Euk Hisehek_ himself inviting her to his very own bedchamber this evening! "M-my Lord . . .!" she sputtered out as the other Flower Youth now on the bridge tried not to laugh on seeing Sungsyech fluster like some embarrassed high school senior getting a surprise date from a popular sports star. "I . . . I . . . I would be honoured!" she then blurted out, which made the Rose Dragon roar in laughter as the others on the bridge also lost control of themselves.

"_**HEY!**_"

Everyone nearly leapt out of their clothes on hearing Ataru's shout.

"Don't embarrass the poor lady!" he then stated as he moved to offer his arm to Sungsyech, which she immediately took, her cheeks now as red as cherries. "Jeez! You make it sound like the Ch'uoeuk himself just came back from the _Te'a_!"

Shaking his head and muttering something about idiots who couldn't respect a girl's dignity, he walked her off the bridge . . .

* * *

The _Yamato_, the wardroom . . .

"So this thing that he turned into on Morningstar Plain to protect Kyech-san and Hep'p'yech-san's sister is some modern version of the Sagussans' god of death?"

"Indeed," Negako stated. "As to how Ataru gained the ability to do that, I cannot say. Was it something during his visit to Sagussa ten years ago that provoked this? Was it something on Okusei that might have provoked it? Was it something in Tomobiki?" A shake of the head. "Again, I cannot say. All I can say is that when he discovered that power, Ataru was . . . " A sigh. "In part, quite taken away by the level of power that he could command in that form, yet . . . "

"He was scared of it, too."

That was Chigaiko. "Yes," Negako affirmed with a nod. "One of the things I did to help promote incidents where ki could be collected for my future use was to allow his gentle nature to show at opportune moments to debunk the general belief people had that Ataru was simply no more than what the translation of his name in Oni-Urusian meant." At people's curious looks, she stated, "A sex-crazed idiot." As laughter then echoed through the wardroom, she added, "Hensō was attracted to it right from the very start. So were you, Shinobu. You as well, Chigaiko. And you have also picked up on it, Ryūnosuke." As the three named students all blushed, Negako sighed. "That is the one true part of him which I never affected while I was inside him. And that part of him – when he woke up to the Cyborg's true power – was so revolted and ashamed by what he had unleashed on Morningstar Plain that he gladly begged someone to kill him."

A horrified gasp escaped many of the people in the classroom. "He wanted to kill himself?" Kumiko cried out. "Why? He was protecting his friends! He was protecting a woman he was falling in love with! He was protecting the people who were travelling to Oku City to meet with the Chancellor of the Outmarches to make their yearly report to her! You said it yourself, Negako-san! It was fight or die!"

"Yes, I did, Kumiko. But would _you_, were _you_ in that position, be willing to kill even if you realised you had no choice but to do that to survive?"

Kumiko blinked, and then she breathed out, "No . . . "

The others – even Mendō – bowed their heads. "Damn! He never liked it when Hensō-chan's dad launched the fight against Elle-chan's people just to make sure Hensō-chan could marry him," Kakugari said. "And then he had to kill all those creeps on Okusei! Probably killed others when you all went to Phentax Twelve to free Taeko-chan's sisters, too! And now that guy in the brig and his friends . . .!"

"Do you feel something when you kill someone, Negako-san?"

People gazed on Momoe, and then turned to Negako. "I do," the grandmaster then stated. "Not in the same manner as Ataru does, of course, but I do. A life that is taken prematurely, regardless of reason, degrades Creation as a whole. Remember, my family Art is addressed as 'the Way of the Supreme _Life_.'" She then glazed at Mifune Hideyuki for a moment before relaxing herself. "Life is to be cherished. For when you pass through the _Te'a_ and learn what lies in the Dào Beyond . . . " A shake of the head. "As the Noukiites firmly believe, if you reincarnate to this existence, you will not be as you were before. Hiromi's brother and sister tōshi prove that. As do the Flower Youth of Noukiios. As for those who believe that a sentient only is granted ONE existence in this life – such as yourself, Shinobu . . . " – she stared at Ataru's former girlfriend, who was now holding the rosary she always had on her person – " . . . then if you did return back to this existence as the son of Maryām of Natzrat was reported to have done in all the canonical gospels of the Bible, then you CLEARLY must return in a much different form than you possessed in your previous time in this existence." As Shinobu warmly smiled at Negako's polite acknowledgement of her own Catholic beliefs, the grandmaster then stood. "But that is a discussion you each must have within your hearts and souls when you have put this evening's events into proper perspective within your minds. Taeko?" she then called out to Adachi Taeko.

"Hai, Negako-sama?" Taeko said, nodding.

"Call to Wakana in the medical station. Have her prepare the medicinal tea, Solution 76-D, that's programmed in the ship's memory banks. Variation 76-D-A for Tachiko and Ryūnosuke, of course. Have them brought here immediately."

A nod. "Hai, Negako-sama."

"What's the tea for, Negako-san?" Koi Shinjin asked.

Negako stood. "You are not reacting to what happened in the detention deck earlier at this time, Shinjin. Be assured, you WILL react to it sometime soon. The tea will allow you to sleep this evening without the risk of nightmares. When you return to school tomorrow, the physical education period in the afternoon will be spent learning how to meditate. Drink all the tea Wakana prepares, and then proceed to bed."

Everyone nodded. Negako then walked out of the wardroom, making her way to a nearby empty officer's bedroom. Once inside, she secured the door, and then tapped controls on the intercom station located there. "Moroboshi to Sick Bay."

"Sick Bay, Ayasaki here," a calm voice with a noticeable Kyōto accent replied.

"You received Taeko's message, Wakana?"

"Hai, Negako-sama."

"There is a modification to those orders that I did not wish to announce in front of the others," Negako stated. "For Inoue Tamako, prepare Solution 49-A. For Mifune Hideyuki, prepare Solution 96-C. Have an un-templated Avalonian body on standby in case Tamako's body contains defences which would cause her grave if not fatal harm should she ingest the tea which will make her more receptive to Hideyuki's advances."

"Negako-san, wouldn't it be easier to just scan the remnants of Tamako's DNA while she's aboard and make the body now?" a strange woman's voice then asked. "If she was converted by Conna, the sooner she's back to being organic, the better."

Negako smiled. "True, Riena." While the gynoid now calling herself "Tanaka Rie" had pretty much accepted that she would be spending the rest of her life on Earth and living as a Japanese woman, the ninjutsu grandmaster still addressed her by her Zeiwanite name. "But we do not know what the exact situation concerning Tamako's fellow gynoids from the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is at this time. Would allowing Tamako to become an Avalonian cause an adverse reaction with Conna before she could be stopped? I have not had the chance to properly analyse the situation with them, so I do not wish to take such a step until I am fully confident of the results."

"Then train me!"

Negako blinked, and then she smiled. "You will need to accept what Maiko desires of you before I could consider taking you on as a student, Riena."

A gulp then escaped Rie; while the other gynoids she had been forced to "save" a year ago at the Tōshichi Onsen were having their new bodies prepared as she was speaking to the ninjutsu grandmaster under Wakana's supervision, she herself was holding off on that fact. "W-w-well . . . " she then sputtered.

Negako tried not to sigh. _To believe that a gynoid would develop such an organic emotion as _fear_!_ "You consider Conna your sister, do you not?"

A pause, and then, "Y-yes . . . "

"Do you truly wish to kill her?"

Another pause, and then, "No."

"Do you believe she will reform herself if she remains a gynoid?"

Yet another pause, and then, "No."

"Then what is the logical outcome of such thoughts?"

A deep sigh. "She must become an Avalonian."

"Would you trust anyone to assist Conna in adjusting to such a transformation?"

"No!" Rie snapped.

"Then your own choice is clear, Rie."

Silence fell, and then Rie admitted, "I'm scared, Negako-san."

"You have a right to feel that way. But do you deny Maiko's love for you?"

"Of course not!" the Zeiwanite police auxiliary officer snapped again.

"Then draw on that to give you strength," the ninjutsu grandmaster then stated. "I will be there in a short while to assist you in preparing a new body for you so that Maiko can bond with you in the morning. Wakana, prepare the tea and bring it to the wardroom immediately. It is time Tamako is given the chance to be human again."

"Hai, Negako-sama," Wakana replied . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) I base **Sungsyech** on the historical figure of **Yuán Huàn** (style-name **Yàoqīng**), who served the Hàn Dynasty and later Cáo Cāo until his death sometime before 220 C.E. The Japanese pronunciation of his name and style-name would be **Enkan Yōkei**; the tōshi that would be Sungsyech's "dream sibling" would have the real name "**On Akiko**" (a girl, currently a third-year student at the Kyoshō Academy). Sungsyech's childhood name is ultimately taken from the characters "school" and "prefect;" Yuán Huàn served as the Prefect of the Palace Gentleman in the court and was a senior advisor to Cáo. Sungsyech's powers are very much like Nymphadora Tonks'.

2) The "Black Dragon of the North" is none other than Noukiios' version of Cáo Cāo, known in this life as **Seu-Na Yesu-Na Hechnich'-T'uokch'eng** (given the childhood name **Seup'it'**). As with others of the Flower Youth that have appeared in this story, she is based on the _Koihime Musō_ version of Sōsō Mōtoku (real name "Karin"). Like Karin with Aisha (Kan'u Unchō), Seup'it' is very much in love with Kuohu; in fact, in their first lives, when Kuohu was fatally wounded by Kuhu at the Battle of Syechne (the Noukiite equivalent of Jīngzhōu, where Guān Yǔ fell at the hands of Lǚ Méng in 220 C.E.), she was taken to an Eap'ye outpost so Seup'it' could be there for her as she died (Kuhu herself would commit suicide in respect to the Flower Youth's law that "Sister shall never raise arms against sister"). Now the governor of Kaisei (Magairu), Seup'it' is looking forward to the day that Kuohu stops her wandering so they can marry and start a family. It should also be noted that like Cáo Cāo (who inspired the Chinese saying _Shuō Cáo Cāo, Cáo Cāo dào_ ["Speak of Cáo Cāo and Cáo Cāo comes"]), Seup'it' inspired the Noukiite version of the English concept "Speak of the devil" in the phrase _T'uokch'eng-hechnich'kyechit'-kai t'up'sut'chich'u, T'uokch'eng-hechnich'kyechit'-kap'e nukhe-ki ch'ap'keket'chich'u_ ("Speak of the Sacred True Bone Lady T'uokch'eng, the Lady T'uokch'eng comes into this place").

3) **Baiseki** (**Kegusei**) was one of the frontier Urusian worlds close to Noukiite territory in _The Senior Year_. In the reality of this series, the planet was settled by the Kegu Pyan, Urusians who wanted to create a society that was more in line with what the Maidens of Aruka (Noa and Honii) were believed to have desired for their people. Baiseki was later annexed by the Imperial Dominion and the Kegu Pyan (given the Noukiite name "Kek'p'yak") were eventually regulated to second-class citizen status among the Noukiites, even those who were half-Noukiite themselves like Sungsyech. It was the return of the Golden Scarves (the Noukiite equivalent of the Yellow Turbans from Chinese history) which would later propel the natives of Baiseki to a more equal social status in the Imperial Dominion; this became reality when Ataru and his siblings visited the planet during their time away from Earth before the start of this story. **Chuttusei** is the common Noukiite-inspired name for the planet known in _TSY_ as "**Tamamono**." It is the closest world to Konton.

4) The **Cyborg** version of Ataru – which was inspired mostly by the Cyborg Superman AKA Hank Henshaw, who appeared in the "Return of the Supermen" story arc published by DC Comics released during the latter half of 1993 – is, in effect, the dark side of Ataru's soul given physical form. His made his first appearance during the "Tiger Saga" part of _The Senior Year_ and it was in that form that Ataru found it within himself to kill the Masters of Noukiios that created his daughter Reiko in the story "Arrive Reiko-chan." In effect, the Cyborg is a more futuristic version of the **Master of Entropy** (**Keiseiri'cha**), the ancient Sagussan (and thus, Avalonian) death deity said to have been responsible for unleashing That Force on the universe at large from his home base of _Toghmoghbiki_ (pronounced "tomobiki"), which is interpreted in modern Sagussan these days as meaning "place of fools and madmen." The Daishi'cha look upon Ataru's living in Tomobiki in very much the same manner that any Oriental person would view living on the fourth floor of an apartment building (given that the number "four" [with the character "四"] is pronounced with the same sound as the character for "death" [written with the character "死"]; both characters are said "shi" in Japanese and "sa" in Korean while in Mandarin, 四 is pronounced "sì" and 死 is pronounced "sǐ"). This concept is known properly as "**tetraphobia**."

5) A **chichi bear** is a Vosian version of a grizzly. Of course, stuffed chichi bears serve the same function for Vosian children as teddy bears do for Terran children.

6) The word **relav'sh**, as mentioned in other stories, is a very vile insult amongst Urusians, though translating it properly is impossible to languages like Japanese.

7) Noukiite translations: **Noangnakkuk-nekk'ek'a** – Imperial Central Intelligence Agency; **Seukhe-T'up'hu** – The sub-caste of the _T'up'hu_ who deal with dairy and cattle farming. Sagussan translations: **Mei'aidoei** – "Half-life," the euphemism for a clone and the most vile insult in the Sagussan language; **Konghpogh va-songhnimgh-ha'cha do** – "I declare you guest-friend," which was inspired by what Sarek said to Ruanek in the novel _Vulcan's Heart_ (1999), written by Josepha Sherman and Susan M. Shwartz; **Marha do-konghpogh uigh, doghma do va** – "Of your declaration, I thank you."

8) Quick Sagussan pronunciation note: If a vowel is followed by "gh," the vowel is considered long as in English, e.g. **agh** would be pronounced "eh" (like the sound the Fonz made in _Happy Days_) and **dogh** would be pronounced "doe" (like a female deer).

9) The phrase "**A fitting end for his kind**" was spoken by the Batman in the first story he appeared in, "The Case of the Chemical Syndicate," published in _Detective Comics_ #27 (May, 1939).

10) The story of Noa's first encounter with Ataru was first revealed in the _TSY_ story "Spirit-War Tomobiki."


	18. The Mudang Speak

In the mountains south of the Yalu River in Ryanggang Province, before dawn . . .

"It is good to see you again, Chin'i-ya."

"And you as well, Kŭmhong-a. You look well fed."

The lovely woman in the uniform of a captain in the Korean People's Army laughed as she gazed on her friend in the uniform of a captain in the Republic of Korea Air Force. They – along with four other people, two representing the other elements of the KPA, the other two representing the other armed services of the South – were seated in the main council room of Project: Pigyŏk, the joined North-South military development group that had built the first-ever stealth ICBM. Of course, the people who now administered this underground base in the mountains south of Huch'ang had not approved of the project; the very thought of using such a ghastly device on innocent people from other lands – even those lands whose interference in the destiny of Korea had divided the peninsula sixty-five years before – was a direct affront to the many gods and other divine spirits that had blessed the Land of the Morning Calm for millennia. The six _mudang_ – for that is what they truthfully were even if they were serving military officers – were part of a hidden alliance of such people, North and South alike, who worked tirelessly to make sure that the lives of all on the peninsula would be blessed with good luck and good fortune for a brighter future ahead.

"The benefits of being part of the staff of what is still seen in P'yŏng'yang as a _viable_ project, Chin'i-ya," Sŏ Kŭmhong stated before sipping her coffee. "Even if the chief scientist of that project went missing five years ago, along with very good soldiers from both sides of the DMZ. And even if the powers around us forced us to 'close it down.'" A shake of the head. "I tried to warn the Supreme Leader about engaging in such a thing in the first place, but he was too enamoured by the book Master Chinmyŏng wrote in the previous decade about actually building such a device and using it on the people across the East Sea." A sigh. "The Spirits of the _Mugunghwa_ took offense at having their blessed name used in that book to represent something so evil, so they appealed to the Gods of the Stars to send a Traveller here to sweep away the products of such evil thoughts. And it was done . . . as I knew it would be done."

"But things have now changed," Lieutenant Cho Munhyang of the South Korean Navy then stated. "Surely, those of our sisters close to the DMZ have started to sense what is now flooding the southern provinces like a gentle yet unstoppable tide. Not to mention those sisters living close to the Amnok-kang and the Tuman-gang sensing the same happening in both the Middle Kingdom and the Land of the Rus'."

"The space women. The 'Avalonians,' they call themselves," Captain Sŏn Kyerang of the Korean People's Army Air Force stated, nodding. "Their desire for freedom and peace after years and decades being treated as mere sex slaves has flooded the southern provinces and given the Spirits of the South new power. Yet why don't they come to the northern provinces? They have gone to the Middle Kingdom as you just said, Munhyang-a. Not to mention the Land of the Southern Hwal and even to the Great Island of the Taíno halfway around the world. Why not the northern provinces here?"

"They fear Marshal Kim's government," the South Korean army representative in this meeting, Captain Im Maehwa, answered. "In your government's so-called 'Supreme Leader,' they see someone who is truthfully no different from the madman that allowed a device far worse than what was built here to be planted in the town of Tomobiki."

The North Korean _mudang_ all nodded in sad understanding. While speaking openly of Kim Chŏng'il without the proper respect and reverence would normally get a citizen of the North either a long prison sentence or an immediate date with a firing squad, the women here and their allies across the Democratic People's Republic of Korea saw themselves loyal to far _greater_ things than the drunkard son of an old freedom fighter who constantly and grossly offended the Spirits of the Land by claiming blasphemous things. Like saying his birth had occurred on the slopes of _**Mount Paekdu**_ to the northeast of Huch'ang . . . and said birth having been foretold by a _swallow_, a _double rainbow_ over the great mountain and the appearance of a new _star_ in the night sky! "He will soon be gone," Lieutenant Yi Hanu, the North Korean naval officer attending this meeting, said. "His delusions will soon be ripped away from him when his spirit takes final flight from his failing flesh and he learns the Truth of the Universe." A sigh. "Sadly, the one he sees as his successor as the leader of this land is an inexperienced boy. The greedy fools who administer the armed forces here would eat the fellow alive unless he's able to gain alliances quickly to consolidate power in P'yŏng'yang."

"Perhaps it may not happen that way."

People gazed on Kim Chin'i. "What do you mean, Chin'i-ya?" Kŭmhong asked.

"The space women did not come to this world without bearing gifts for all of the peoples of the world, Kŭmhong-a," Chin'i stated, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

"How so?" Hanu asked.

"Do you know of Moroboshi Ataru?"

"The current host of the Earth Angel," Kŭmhong answered.

"And the LAST host, Kŭmhong-a," Munhyang stated. "Thanks to the power of the space women, the Earth Angel at last achieved what she has sought for 202 years." She sipped her tea. "The Sacred Promise of the Fifth Year of Munhwa is fulfilled."

The others nodded. "The Spirits across the world will clearly welcome such a development," Maehwa stated. "That the Earth Angel was trapped for so long without being given the right to live her own life offended the Spirits greatly. All those who sought to keep her in chains suffered for it one way or another. Even those of young Ataru's family who were always sympathetic to our land, such as his grandmother."

"Indeed," Hanu affirmed with a nod.

Chin'i then smirked before she sipped her tea. "The Great Lady Negako was not the ONLY one who lived within the Young Master Ataru's mind for a decade, though."

The North Korean _mudang_ perked. "What do you mean?" Kyerang asked.

"Do you know of the _t'usa_, Kyerang-a?"

Jaws dropped. "_Them?_" Kŭmhong gasped. "Why do you speak of those poor souls, Chin'i-ya? What they've endured since the days of the Chinese _Samguk-shidae_ . . . " A shake of the head. "The Spirits truly cursed them for their greed and ambition. Try as our own predecessors did during the early years of Chosŏn when they lived here, they could not be broken from reliving their first lives during the final days of the Huhan and the period that followed." A shake of the head. "They are lost and can't be saved, Chin'i-ya. We can only pray for them . . . "

"But what of the return of the _Hyoy__ŏ__ng_ Emperor of the Huhan?"

Silence.

"_What_ . . .?" Kyerang gasped.

Chin'i smiled as she reached into her jacket and pulled out a picture to hand to her friends from the North. "Behold the second sister of Moroboshi Ataru and now Matriarch of the Moroboshi Clan, my friends: Moroboshi Hiromi," she said as Kŭmhong took the picture to gaze on the image there. "Note the _kog'ok_ she wears on her ear."

The others from the North nodded. "The same as what was worn by all of the _t'usa_ when they lived in this land before the Imjin War," Hanu noted. "But how could this be? The Hyoyŏng Emperor has NEVER returned to this life since he died in Nag'yang in 2522!"

"None the less, our friends who keep an eye over events in the Land of the Wae have affirmed that Moroboshi Hiromi was, in her first life, the Hyoyŏng Emperor of the Huhan, Lord Yu Koing," Chin'i stated. "And she came back to this world after being given a body of her own by the space women – with the help of the reborn Mistress Hwang Wŏr'yŏng (now calling himself Ki Tsukihana) and the reborn Master Sun Uk, Lord Mun'yak (now calling herself Hakaru Ayami) – bearing incredible gifts born of the technology of the lost race that made the space women possible."

Smiling, Munhyang opened her purse to draw out a series of pictures, and then she handed them over to Hanu. The North Korean naval officer looked at them . . . and then her jaw dropped in disbelief and shock. "What in the Names of the Spirits is _THIS_?"

As Kŭmhong and Kyerang looked at the pictures, Munhyang smiled. "The _Paekb__ŏ__m_, named in honour of Master Kim Ku," the South Korean naval officer answered. "Soon to be welcomed into the South Korean Navy as the Republic of Korea Starship _Paekb__ŏ__m_."

Silence fell over the room. "Tell us everything," Kŭmhong bade . . .

* * *

Tongduch'ŏn (64 kilometres north of Sŏul), on the slopes of Mount Soyo . . .

"Are you SURE this is the place we should come to, Suhŭi-ya?"

"I'm positive, Ŏmma! Now, c'mon . . .!"

Watching her younger daughter turn to walk with determination up to the small temple located on the southern slopes of Mount Soyo north of Camp Casey, Kong Hyojin could only shake her head before she moved to follow. "I seriously doubt that a _mudang_ would be able to help us find out what happened to your sister, Suhŭi-ya!" the elderly housewife said, wishing she still had the strength of youth to get up this mountain as fast as her child was now moving.

"We're tried everything else to find out what happened to Ŏnni, Ŏmma," Kim Suhŭi – she was an office lady that worked for the city government in Tongduch'ŏn – stated. "I will not believe she's dead until I see a body! Not like what Appa thinks!"

Hearing those words, Hyojin could only sigh as she shook her head again. While she herself had been hurt badly by the words her husband Kim Sammun had said a couple years ago when the family's last attempt at learning the truth about his elder daughter's fate had been rebuffed by the Ministry of Defence, Hyojin had come to seriously believe that Suyŏn was truly lost and would never come home. Suhŭi, however, had not given up and had continued to pursue any clues as to what had happened to Suwŏn, even coming to the point where she had effectively destroyed any hopes of getting married to a fine fellow from Inch'ŏn, Paek Hyojong . . . and had come dangerously close to risking her career in the civil service for stepping onto toes that should not have been stepped on in her unyielding quest to learn the truth. But despite her own hopes failing as the months and years passed by, Hyojin couldn't really be angry at her younger daughter for just wanting to learn the truth about what had happened to her older sister . . .

"There!"

She looked over to see two _changs__ŭ__ng_ guarding the main entrance to the small temple that had been occupied by a family of local _mudang_ for decades. Hyojin knew the current shaman that lived in this place; she and Chŏn Yŏngsu had been classmates in high school together during the early years of Pak Chŏnghŭi's rule over the Republic in the 1960s. And while the elderly priestess of _Mu-gyo_ – as Korean shamanism was called as a whole – had endured much ridicule for taking up the ancient practices that had drawn scorn from Buddhists, Confucianists and Christians alike over the years, she had never wavered even ONCE from her desire to be a shaman. In a way, Hyojin admired Yŏngsu – or "Grandmother Chŏn" as many who lived in Tongduch'ŏn, even the American soldiers of the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment based in Camp Casey, called her – for her dedication to her faith. But she strongly doubted that the woman could . . .

"It has been a long time, Hyojin-a."

Hyojin gasped before she turned around as an elderly woman in the vibrant hanbok of a _mudang_ came up to her out of the thick woods surrounding her home temple. As Suhŭi turned to bow politely to the elderly shaman, Hyojin put her fists to her hips as she glared at the other woman. "HONESTLY, Yŏngsu-ya! Do you do that on purpose?"

"_**Ŏ**__**MMA!**_" Suhŭi yelped. "Don't say such terrible things to Halmŏni!"

Yŏngsu howled with delightful mirth, and then she nodded as the younger of the Kim sisters bowed to her. "You look well, Suhŭi-ya," she said before making a sign with her hands to bestow a blessing to the younger woman. "And I know what brought you here today. You're here to find out the truth about Suwŏn-a, correct?"

Suhŭi gasped. "Halmŏni . . .!"

Yŏngsu waved them with her. "Come inside. Ch'ŏn'gŭm-a should be done with her latest guest, so we can concentrate on what we have to do to find Suyŏn."

Silence.

"Who on Earth's Ch'ŏn'gŭm?" Hyojin demanded.

"My daughter, of course," Yŏngsu answered.

"Oh . . . "

It hit her.

"_**WHAT? SINCE WHEN? YOU NEVER GOT MARRIED!**_" Hyojin shrieked out.

A sigh. "My _adopted_ daughter, Hyojin!" the elderly _mudang_ snapped. "As in a child who underwent the _shinby__ŏ__ng_ and was made by the Spirits to seek me out to become a _mudang_ herself." She then smiled. "You'll find her a little odd, but don't be frightened by her, Hyojin-a. She's already showing incredible promise."

"Congratulations, Halmŏni!" Suhŭi stated.

"« . . . sure that's going to help?»"

"«Of course it will, David. Just because you and I practice different faiths doesn't mean that beyond the _Te'a_, the spirit of your mother can't be spoken to by the Spirits of the land you now help protect. Have faith and keep praying.»"

Hyojin and her daughter turned on hearing those voice speak in English . . .

. . . as a man in the combat uniform of a staff-sergeant in the 9th Infantry Regiment stepped out of the temple, having just slipped on his khaki combat boots out of respect to the Oriental tradition of removing one's footwear when entering a home or temple. Following him was a woman appearing to be Suhŭi's age, dressed in the fancy and colourful hanbok normally worn by _mudang_, who was putting on her outdoor shoes so she could walk the soldier out to the area of the _changs__ŭ__ng_ before parting from him. Staring at her, both Hyojin and Suhŭi gaped on noting that this woman was a Westerner in looks, with shaggy sunflower-blonde hair and caramel brown eyes peeking out of a well-shaped face with all the standard features for someone descent of Europe. As the soldier and the young shaman came up to Yŏngsu and her companions, he saluted the older _mudang_ while the younger shaman bowed politely to her adopted grandmother's guests. "Annyŏng hashimnikka, Kong-ssi, Kim-yang," she said as her eyes twinkled, speaking in perfect Sŏul-dialect Korean. "If you'll give me a moment, I'm just going to see the staff-sergeant here off to rejoin his regiment, then I'll make some tea."

With another bow, she then beckoned the American soldier to follow her. Hyojin and Suhŭi watched them head off, and then they turned to stare wide-eyed at their host. "Americans don't undergo the _shinby__ŏ__ng_!" Hyojin snapped. "Who on Earth . . .?"

"She's not from Earth, Hyojin-a," Yŏngsu warned.

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"She's an AVALONIAN?" Suhŭi gasped, her jaw dropping to the ground.

Hyojin blinked in confusion, and then she perked as it came to her. "You mean that race of artificial women that just came to our solar system last week?" She looked back to gaze on the pretty girl that was now parting from the American soldier by the _changs__ŭ__ng_. "I heard many of them have come to Korea, but what on Earth is one looking like an AMERICAN doing living here? Why didn't she go to America?"

"In truth, Ch'ŏn'gŭm-a was patterned after someone who was born in Germany when she was created," Yŏngsu stated. "She was part of a group of girls owned by a fellow from one of the Niphentaxian colony worlds that took a fancy to Korean cuisine and decided he wanted a harem of Korean-form Avalonians to serve as both his cooks and his mistresses. Ch'ŏn'gŭm-a – the name given to her when she was born was 'Elaine;' she never was given a family name as she was seen as a slave – was created to reflect the number of Westerners that currently work and live in Korea, not just the American soldiers who protect us from our foolish northern brethren." She smiled as Ch'ŏn'gŭm waved good-bye to the soldier before turning to walk back towards her adopted mother and her new guests. "When she arrived in Tongduch'ŏn with her group, she sensed my presence here on Soyo-san, then came up to ask me to pray for all her sisters who lost masters and mistresses who were far more humane to their charges than her own master had been to her. And before you knew it, she was undergoing the _shinby__ŏ__ng_!" A smile. "I adopted her on the spot; we're getting the paperwork pushed through the Ministry of Justice right now. It should be approved in a very short while; her group was able to bring over fifty million dollars American in precious metals – not to mention quite incalculable levels of scientific information and samples of their former masters' technology – to present to the government to allow them to stay here in Korea."

"Oh, my . . . " Suhŭi breathed out. "And given their telepathy . . . "

"Learning the language was quite easy for my sisters and I," Ch'ŏn'gŭm stated as she gave the visiting office lady a warm smile. "There were thirty of us in our group, so we didn't actually fulfil the proper requirements the Ministry of Justice insists on for those wanting to immigrate into the Republic. But the other things we brought in was more than enough to convince the honourable magistrates of this ancient land to allow us to come and stay anyway. Anyhow, what sort of tea would you like?"

Hyojin and Suhŭi blinked as Yŏngsu laughed . . .

* * *

Minutes later . . .

"A lovely dawn . . . "

"Ne, it is," Yŏngsu said as she and Hyojin gazed at the rolling hills and mountains bordering the Han River plain where South Korea's modern capital city was located. "A dawn like this is always inspiring to me; it is a sign from the Spirits that good fortune is to come for the day." A smile. "It was like this the morning Elaine-a came to become my daughter." She then gave her old classmate a knowing look. "You've almost given up, haven't you?" she then asked. "Try as you might, you couldn't get any answers from the arrogant fools in Yongsan . . . and given how easily your husband pretty much gave up the effort, it was just as easy for you to do the same."

A tired, guilt-ridden sigh. "Ne, you're right, Yŏngsu-ya," Hyojin whispered. "But Suhŭi-ya wouldn't give up. She's already effectively ruined her chances to get married to a good man and is close to losing her job because of all the people she's gone after to find out what happened to Suyŏn-a." Another sigh. "The instant Suyŏn-a graduated from Sŏul National University with her degree in atomic physics, I knew she was going to be snapped up by the Defence Ministry. With the Pukhan so desperate to make nuclear weapons despite how much all our neighbours frown on such a thing . . . "

"Not all our northern brethren support their 'supreme leader's' quest to ensure their society remains totally isolated from the outside world," Yŏngsu stated. "They may be overwhelmed with all the propaganda the selfish loons in P'yŏng'yang love to pump out all the time, but they're not stupid. There are those who see the truth . . . and do their best to ensure the truth is learned, even at risk to their lives. Even those such as me." As Hyojin gaped at her, the shaman smirked. "It's true. Even if it is said that there IS no official religion past the Imjin-gang, there are those who believe and do their best to help others seek out their own spiritual harmony . . . "

"Ŏmma!"

Both turned as a smiling Ch'ŏn'gŭm came up to them, followed by a wide-eyed and clearly stunned Suhŭi. "You found her?" Yŏngsu demanded as Hyojin gasped.

"Ne!" the younger shaman said as she knelt beside her adopted mother. In her hands was the iPad-like device known as a "dataPADD," used by Avalonians as a portable mini-computer – with built-in world-wide wireless communications capabilities that could transmit incredible amounts of data at speeds the most advanced Korean and Japanese mobile companies such as SK Telecom and NTT DoCoMo couldn't even BEGIN to imagine! – to allow them to keep in touch with their sisters on Earth and in space. "Her name was entered in the main databanks of the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ yesterday afternoon when the crew there began to make preparations to carry out a controlled time-warp flight to the year 3905. It turns out Suyŏn-a was the victim of a time-warp that took not just her but several of her friends to that year near modern-day Huch'ang on the Amnok-kang from the year 4338."

Silence.

"What does all that mean?" a wide-eyed Hyojin stated.

"Ŏnni was involved in a project to build an intercontinental ballistic missile with stealth capabilities that could be used to defend the country – both South and North – from outside invaders, Ŏmma," Suhŭi explained, her voice hollow with horror. "It was organised by President Kim and Chairman Kim at their meeting in P'yŏng'yang in 2000. The Americans and the Chinese found out about it, then made us shut it down. Somehow, Ŏnni – and a whole bunch of soldiers, INCLUDING Pak Chŏng'u! – got propelled back in time to _**1572**_ thanks to the comet that passed close to Earth back in 2005!"

"Ah . . . " Yŏngsu breathed out. "No wonder your daughter vanished like that, Hyojin-a." As Hyojin stared at her, the elderly shaman stated, "The Spirits would NEVER approve of the construction of a **_nuclear bomb_** anywhere on the peninsula. Your daughter and her friends were punished for it by being forced back in time to that year!" She then gazed on her own adopted daughter. "At Huch'ang, you said?"

"Ne, Ŏmma. But they can be rescued. As a matter of fact, Moroboshi Hiromi-yangnim is going to lead a rescue team back in time aboard the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ – most likely, this weekend when she doesn't have to worry about school – to get Suwŏn-a and her friends and return them back to their proper time period," Ch'ŏn'gŭm stated, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "They'll be home before first thing Monday morning!"

Hyojin cried out on hearing that . . . and then she stopped. "Wait a minute! What's this _Paekb__ŏ__m_ you're talking about, Ch'ŏn'gŭm-a?"

"It's a starship, Ŏmma."

Hyojin gaped as she stared wide-eyed at Suhŭi. "My daughter, send a message to the Lady Hiromi," Yŏngsu then stated. "Inform her of our meeting with Suyŏn-a's mother and sister and ask if it would be permitted for them to be on the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ when they go back in time to bring Suyŏn-a and her friends back to the modern era."

Ch'ŏn'gŭm blinked. "Ŏmma, I don't think Hiromi-yangnim will allow that . . . "

"She is _t'usa_, my daughter," Yŏngsu then stated. "She will understand."

The younger shaman blinked, and then she nodded . . .

* * *

The _Yamato_, minutes later . . .

A knock. "Hiromi-sama?"

A moan escaped from somewhere underneath the piles of blankets and quilts now on the bed located in the flag officer's quarters in the upper aft superstructure of the Japanese starship. A moment later, as another knock echoed from the door, a tired Hiromi pulled herself out from under the sheets, she soon joined by a yawning Rumiko. "Yes, Yuka-chan, come in!" the reborn emperor then stated. "The door's open."

The doors then opened to reveal Okano Yuka. "Ohayō gozaimashita, Hiromi-sama. Rumiko-sama," the brown-haired, brown-eyed Terran-form Avalonian stated as she came inside, ignoring the fact that the two girls in the room were totally naked under the covers and clearly had spent time last night making love to each other before falling asleep. "We just received a message from a _mudang_ in Tongduch'ŏn concerning Kim Suyŏn-sensei, the missing scientist who was propelled back to the year 1572 from 2005."

Hiromi blinked. "A _mudang_?"

"Elaine Chŏn Ch'ŏn'gŭm, Hiromi-sama," Yuka provided as Rumiko slipped on her own glasses, and then got off the bed as she moved to slip on a housecoat. "She's a sister, one of a group of thirty who moved to the city of Tongduch'ŏn because their master was quite infatuated with Korean cooking yet wished a slave who resembled an American atop a group of Korean-form Avalonians to serve as his chefs and intimate companions." As Hiromi nodded, Yuka added, "She endured the shaman illness when she went to a temple on Mount Soya to seek out spiritual assistance from the _Te'a_ with the assistance of the Reverend Grandmother Chŏn Yŏngsu; the Reverend Grandmother is now Ch'ŏn'gŭm's adopted mother and teacher."

"And her resembling a '_Miguk-saram_' doesn't bother her new mother?"

"No."

A sigh. "So what happened to cause Ch'ŏn'gŭm-a to signal us?"

"Kim-sensei's younger sister, Kim Suhŭi-san, has been trying to learn the truth of what befell her sibling back in 2005, Hiromi-sama," Yuka explained. "All attempts at asking officials in the Korean Ministry of Defence – which she knew employed Kim-sensei – failed and she was forced to seek a more unorthodox path to learn the truth. When she and her mother came to the Reverend Grandmother's shrine, Ch'ŏn'gŭm initiated a search for Kim-sensei's name through her dataPADD, which allowed her to . . . "

"Tap into the _Paekb__ŏ__m_'s central computers to learn of Project: Pigŏk," Hiromi finished, and then she sighed. "Oh, very well, then. I will beam down to Tongduch'ŏn to meet with Kim-sŏnsaengnim's mother and sister to brief them on what was learned. Have a dataPADD with all the necessary information prepared, and then tell Onē-sama what's happened; I'll be probably forced to miss out on morning classes because of this."

"Hai. Excuse me, please."

Yuka walked out of the room. "Isn't your friend on the _Paekb__ŏ__m_ going to be upset that you're revealing something like THAT to civilians?" Rumiko asked.

"He's going to come with me," Hiromi stated as she gave her classmate an inviting look. "Shall we have some fun in the private furo here, Rumiko-chan?"

The other woman purred. "You sexy girl, you . . .!" she then meowed as she gave Hiromi a saucy wink. "How'd you know I was thinking of doing just _that_?"

"Empathy, my dear. Empathy!"

Both of them laughed . . .

* * *

The wardroom, later . . .

"Ataru-kun is doing WHAT?"

"He's now enjoying the intimate company of Sungsyech, the intelligence officer who had infiltrated herself into the Eo fleet to report on its activities to her superiors," Negako stated as she enjoyed her tea. "You need not concern yourself, Shinobu. Sungsyech is an Avalonian, so there's no risk of what could have happened when Ataru was on his date with Yui the weekend just past. Eat your breakfast."

Shinobu jolted. "But still . . .!"

"Shinobu, if what you witnessed last night did not clearly demonstrate to you that Ataru has matured to the point where he does NOT require OR DESIRE any of his peers to render judgement on his desire to explore his sexuality – which IS a normal thing for a man his age to desire to pursue – I am unsure of how you can be persuaded of that," Negako flatly stated, which made Shinobu – not to mention Mendō and the Stormtroopers, who all looked ready to storm out of the wardroom to find their classmate and upbraid him for his "betrayal" of Hensō – jerk as they sensed the ninjutsu grandmaster's disapproval of their actions. "Do not concern yourself if you fear Sungsyech may have got herself pregnant. Ataru would never allow anyone to gain THAT level of influence on him; it would be the ultimate surrender of his freedom to another. Finish your breakfast."

Shinobu blinked, and then she sighed. "I don't want him to get the reputation of being a gigolo, Negako-san," she said before drinking her tea.

"Ataru has no care for that sort of attitude, Shinobu. You should realise that by now," the grandmaster stated. "To him, the attitudes of contemporary Japanese society when it comes to matters of an intimate nature are illogical and do not conform to the natural realities young people your age face as you mature. As long as sexual intercourse is practiced with the necessary measures needed to prevent an unwanted pregnancy or transmission of disease, there is nothing to be concerned about. Your female peers, for the most part, accept that, so pay it no mind." She gazed on Momoe, Kumiko and several other girls, who were all nodding in understanding. "Also keep in mind what Tariko warned you about on your date with her. Do you wish Ataru to HATE you?"

Shinobu nearly choked on her miso soup on hearing that, and then she rapidly shook her head. "Splendid. Then speak no more of this," Negako stated.

Several of the other girls laughed, earning them annoyed looks from Ataru's former girlfriend as a result. "Surely, Negako-san, you can't allow your brother to behave in such a boorish manner!" Mendō then stated. "Even if he did undergo what he did on Okusei – not to mention last night's events – he still must . . .!"

"Shūtarō, be silent . . . or be _silenced_!"

The scion of Japan's richest family froze at that warning, and then he meekly took his own seat as a smiling Adachi Taeko served him breakfast. The Stormtroopers also took their seats; having seen Negako in action, they knew that anything they said – much less tried to do to Ataru – would invite massive retaliation on them that would be both painful and quite humiliating. It was bad enough that their own parents were riding them to finally "let that stupid fake Oni go!" and get on with their lives, but with the normal target of their own youthful frustrations now well-shielded by his sisters – and the previous evening's revelations being quite prominent in their minds – there was nothing they could do which wouldn't backlash hard on them.

As they took their seats, Mendō Tachiko sighed as she reached down with her free hand to touch Negako's under the table. «They won't give up, Negako-san,» she warned. «Even after learning of your brother's transformation ability and learning the truth of Hensō won't make them finally see the light to get on with their lives. That's how much Hensō ultimately affected them all. Onii-sama will be forced to conform once you help Asuka-san fully adjust to normal society, but the Stormtroopers . . . »

«Clearly need some assistance to finally see reason,» the grandmaster finished for the younger Mendō twin. «I will have to reflect on that. I doubt that getting them to become more intimate with those Avalonians whose former masters once worshipped them so passionately would work, so we will have to find others to be with them.»

«Is that possible?»

Negako smirked. «I believe it is . . . »

* * *

Meanwhile, down in a rented apartment near the Butsumetsu Girl's Academy . . .

"AH-CHOO!"

"AH-CHOO!"

"AH-CHOO!"

"AH-CHOO!"

* * *

The _Yamato_ . . .

"Ohayō!"

"Ohayō gozaimasu!"

Negako turned to gaze on who just walked in. "Hideyuki. Tamako. All is well?"

"Hai!" a madly-grinning Mifune Hideyuki said as he and a shyly-blushing Inoue Tamako moved to take their own seats as Taeko proceeded to bring out breakfast trays for them. "Slept like the dead last night! Didn't have any problems at all!"

"Hai, me too!" Tamako said before nodding thanks as a tray was put down in front of her. "Let's just hope that the Parents Association doesn't pull another stupid stunt like they did yesterday with Kuribayashi! Itadakimasu!" she then called out before picking up her chopsticks and scooping some rice out to put in her miso.

Hideyuki did the same. Gazing at them with her ki-sight, Negako was quick to note that Tamako's internal mechanisms had been properly safety-locked when she and Hideyuki both reached orgasm when they copulated very early that morning in their own private cabin, which had been sealed off by the grandmaster to ensure they could spend quality time together without being interrupted. Even better, while Hideyuki was fully aware of what had happened to Tamako, Tamako herself was not aware that her new lover – and, in one sense of the term, her "master" – was privy to the fact that she was now a gynoid; all those "organic" thoughts she possessed which did not arise from her body's hardwired programming simply looked on Hideyuki as her new boyfriend and lover. If prepared right, Tamako – who wasn't normally seen by Conna at the Dobu Salada due to the very strict security protocols Han Yŏngch'ŏl had put into place to ensure his operation would not be discovered – would not demonstrate any signs of actually being a double-agent, answering to the North Koreans . . . and to the Moroboshi Clan and the Imperial Throne of Japan via Mifune Hideyuki.

Once a better picture of what was truthfully going on inside the Dobu Salada tavern was drawn up, further acquisitions – starting most likely with Sŏ Yŏn'i – would be made, the North Korean colonel in charge of it all would be rendered powerless and Conna herself would be forced to see that her destructive behaviour was NOT the path to pursue to acquire full control of herself and her surroundings.

Unlike . . .

"Ohayō!"

Negako looked over. "Greetings, Maiko. Rie. All is well?"

"Hai!" Matsudamasu Maiko said as she and Tanaka Rie took their seats at a nearby table. Both girls looked quite refreshed even if they only got about three hours sleep due to the time they had to spend in Sick Bay waiting for their new bodies to be made. "Thank you for calling to the station and telling them about what happened to me yesterday, Negako-sama. They got a substitute DJ to take over this morning's show."

"Are you thinking of doing a show from up here, Maiko-san?" Kumiko asked.

A giggle. "Maybe. But since news of these ships hasn't got out to everyone just yet, I'll have to hold out on suggesting that to my producers for the time being." Maiko then smiled. "I can imagine it. The day His Majesty officially commissions _Yamato_ into the Self-Defence Forces in the skies over Tōkyō . . . and there's Sasaki Isao-sensei standing on the upper flight deck singing the theme song to _Uch__ū__ Senkan Yamato_!"

"Better than the _Kōhaku Uta Gassen_ on New Year's Eve," Rie noted.

All of the students were nodding in appreciation of that idea. "Whoa!" Kakugari gasped. "Hey, that'd be something! Actually have the _Kōhaku_ on the _Yamato_! Hey, Negako-san! You think you can get Hiromi-chan to arrange it?"

"Arrange what, Hiroyuki-san?"

People turned as Hiromi walked in, followed by Rumiko. "Why are you dressed in jeans, Hiromi-chan?" Shinobu asked as the reborn emperor and her friend took their seats at the other end of the main table from where Negako was sitting; Hiromi wasn't in her school uniform.

"I have to go visit the good city of Tongduch'ŏn this morning, Shinobu-san," the reborn emperor answered as Taeko moved to serve her. "The mother and younger sister of one of those poor unfortunates who wound up being propelled over four centuries back in time have never learned the truth of their kinswoman's fate, so I have to go visit them at a temple in that city to assure them that all will be well. Though most likely, they'll insist on coming along when we go fetch those people this weekend on the _Paekb__ŏ__m_."

"When do you plan to depart on that trip?" Negako asked.

"First thing Saturday morning."

"Did you inform Chung'won of that?"

"He's already passed it on to Ch'ŏng'wadae."

"Splendid."

"Wait! _Tongduch'__ŏ__n_? That's in Korea!"

That was Mendō. "But of course, Shūtarō-san!" Hiromi said as she smiled at him. "It is north of the beautiful city of Sŏul on the Kyŏng'won Line about 35 kilometres south of the Demilitarised Zone. I'll be going to a lovely temple on Soyo-san, which is just north of Camp Casey, where the 2nd Battalion of the 9th Infantry Regiment of the noble United States Army is current based at to ensure the good Republic of Korea remains free of their errant cousins answering to the so-called 'supreme leader' now in P'yŏng'yang." Hiromi was quick to sense a flash of concern from Tamako, but it wasn't as bad as it was yesterday when the reborn emperor had talked to Yu Chung'won about the whole matter concerning the missing personnel from Project: Pigŏk. "Do not concern yourself about my safety. It's a direct beam-in to the front gate of the temple. I'll alert the noble Reverend Grandmother Chŏn's adopted daughter – who is an Avalonian who just moved to Korea – of where and when I'll be coming in. The visit should take no more than an hour. I might have lunch there, and then be back for the afternoon classes."

"Are you sure the South Korean government is going to be okay with this?" Chibi then asked as Hiromi's classmates gaped at how calm she was about this.

"I'm sure the good Master Chung'won will smooth things over before I go, Akira-san," Hiromi stated. "He did receive a most positive answer from the good President Yi about this situation, so it's only natural to alert the relatives of the missing that they've been found and will soon be reunited with their loved ones."

"Are you sure you're gonna be okay, Hiromi?" Ryūnosuke asked. "I mean, the whole going back into the past to go find these people and get them back home. This whole trippin' into the past thing doesn't sound really safe, you know."

"If it's done right, it will be no problem at all, Ryūnosuke-san. Do not fret," Hiromi stated as she sipped her tea. "Besides, knowing that Kim-sŏnsaengnim has family who have been left in the dark over what happened to her five years ago is a further impetus to ensure this mission goes well and those worthies are brought home."

"Are you going to get Tsukihana and Ayami-chan to help out?" Hideyuki asked.

"But of course, Hideyuki-san. I wouldn't trust anyone else with such a task."

Hideyuki laughed as Tamako and some of the other girls giggled . . .

* * *

In the captain's cabin atop the forward superstructure . . .

"And this ship's master refuses to use such a beautiful stateroom?"

"Amazed me," Ataru said as he and Sungsyech reclined in the master bed, gazing out at the starry night all around _Yamato_, with the Sun off to their port and rising high in the sky. Both of them looked well-exercised even if they had not gone as far with each other as Ataru and Kyech had done weeks earlier on Okusei; Ataru himself was – as Negako had explained to his classmates in the wardroom – not willing to risk forcing a child on his current companion thanks to Noukiite laws and customs that flatly came down against any form of abortion . . . and Sungsyech had to get used to living full-time as a girl after many months in a male body, living among the Eo pirates of Konton. "I guess when it comes to surface warships, the captain's cabin is located in a more protected space below decks. Back in the old days, officer quarters were located right at the aft end of the ship, just like they are on Noukiite ships."

"Well, it is the Lord Captain Umezu's loss," the Noukiite intelligence officer breathed out as she allowed him to draw her up against his body. "He strikes me as an honourable and learned man. He will command this vessel well, I believe."

"He's had his own weird experiences when he commanded a surface destroyer, the _Mirai_," Ataru said, and then he explained what had happened to that ship the previous year. "Choosing him was pretty much a no-brainer in the long term. It's a pity the captain of the _Nimitz_, Matthew Yelland, is long retired from the service. The Americans could use a good man like him to command the _Arizona_."

"I assume the good Lord Captain Yelland underwent a similar experience?"

A nod. "Back in 1980," Ataru answered, and then explained everything about THAT particular time-trip taken by the first of America's current class of supercarriers back to the very eve of the attack on Pearl Harbour in 1941. "Fortunately, whatever phenomena was playing around with the _Nimitz_ that day brought them back before they really fucked up history," he finished. "I just hope something doesn't happen to any of the ships of this fleet before we're prepared enough to deal with that sort of thing." He then jerked before moaning. "Way to go, Moroboshi! You just cursed it!"

Sungsyech laughed. "Oh, My Lord, pay it no mind!" she soothed as she turned to gaze in amusement into his eyes. "I'm sure the Angels of Time will not take offense. The Angels of the Fates may be capricious whenever the mood strikes Them, but you clearly did not mean offense when you said that. Be at ease." She then sighed before leaning over to gently kiss him. "Thank you, Ataru-yu. For not . . . "

He sighed. "I would never want to do THAT to a woman, Sungsyech-u," he said as he shifted his hand up to gently ruffle her hair. "You just got off a hair-raising infiltration mission. Yes, alive and unhurt, but you're still on a bit of an emotional high because of the tension you've felt being among the 'enemy' for so long." He kissed her forehead, which nearly made her swoon. "Do as T'yekp'it'-u told you. Go home for a couple weeks, spend time with the parents, catch up with all your friends back home, and then get over to Kesei to get your orders. Don't worry about the accommodations when you get back here, though. We've got room."

"And your family? I've heard rather ugly things about your parents."

"They do not matter," he stated. "I had to put up to all of Hensō's weird and stupid friends – to say anything of her brat cousin – for six whole damned months until Kyech finally pulled me out of that mess two months ago. If they can't stand the idea of my having friends of my own, then they get an empty house."

"Why not kill them?" she wondered.

Ataru winked. "Too damned easy!"

Sungsyech blinked, and then she laughed . . .

* * *

Materialiser Room Two, a half-hour later . . .

"I will inform the staff of your visit to Tongduch'ŏn to see Suyŏn's relatives."

"Arigatō, Onē-sama. Everyone, I'll see you this afternoon," Hiromi said before she and Yu Chung'won stepped onto the materialiser platform. "Energise, Yū-chan."

"Hai, Hiromi-sama, energising," Nanase Yū, another girl named from a character in _Sentimental Graffiti_, said as she keyed the controls to the system.

The reborn emperor and the Korean NIS agent disappeared in swirls of energy. "Masayuki, we will be heading directly to school," Negako then stated as she gazed on Kikuchi Masayuki, who had come down to the materialiser room to see the students and the ninjutsu grandmaster off. "Please ensure you listen to all advice from the volunteers aboard the _Yamato_ as well as Tsukihana and Ayami on the _Haida_. If there is an odd incident such as what happened yesterday, have Yuka contact me immediately."

A nod. "Hai, Negako-sama," the future combat officer of the _Yamato_ stated as he bowed to her. "Please have a very good day at school."

"Wait! Where's Ataru?"

Many of the girls moaned. "Megane, shut up for once in your useless life!" Momoe snapped, making the leaders of the Stormtroopers jolt in disbelief. "He's no doubt being a gentleman and escorting that nice Noukiite girl he helped rescue last night to another of the materialiser rooms so she can beam off to Hep'p'yech-san's ship and go back to her home planet." Shaking her head, she turned to walk onto the materialiser pad. "Damn! It's no wonder that he doesn't consider you a friend anymore! You keep acting like that and he might just go 'borg over you and kill you like he killed that creep in the brig cells last night!" As Megane turned pale as he recalled what the transformed Ataru had done to the flag captain of Pochik Rishu's small pirate force the previous evening, Momoe gazed on Yū. "Let's go, Yū-chan. I want to get to class on time and NOT listen to lifeless idiots anymore!"

"Amen to that!" Kumiko added as she stepped onto the pad.

Several other girls got onto the pad. "System reprogrammed to land you on the front lawn of Tomobiki High School," Yū stated. "Energising."

They vanished in swirls of energy. As another group of students got onto the pad, Negako blinked, and then she looked over to another part of the ship. She then nodded before blinking. "Do not delay going to class, Shinobu," she flatly stated. "Ataru and Tariko have both beamed down after seeing Sungsyech off."

"Really?" Chigaiko said as she got onto the materialiser pad. "Great! We can go on a date tonight! The karaoke tickets I've got are still valid."

Mendō awked. "Chigaiko-san! You must no- . . .!"

His voice then fell silent as his lips flapped open and closed. Seeing that – and noting what the ninjutsu grandmaster had done to deprive her wealthy classmate of his voice – Chigaiko then laughed. "Hey, Negako-san! Do it to these idiots, too!" she said as she thumbed the Stormtroopers, all of whom jolted. "We can use a day without listening to them whine on and on like they used to do!"

"HEY!" Megane snapped.

"Satoshi."

He stopped, turning very pale as he gazed warily on Negako. "Energising," Yū then announced as she beamed the next group down to Tomobiki . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) **Mu-gyo** ("Religion of the Shaman"), also called **Shin-gyo** ("Religion of the Gods") is the oldest faith system native to Korea. Similar to Shintō in that it intrinsically accepts the gods and spirits of other faiths as being equal to the native gods and spirits of Korea, priests of Mu-gyo (known as **Mudang** or "temple shaman") were often persecuted and demonised by practitioners of other faiths (especially the Neo-Confucians of the Chosŏn era), mostly because Mu-gyo doesn't pursue a sort of spiritual salvation (as Christianity does) but acts as a sort of "spiritual medicine" to handle the day-to-day problems facing the normal people. To become a mudang (who most often are women), one must often undergo the **Shinbyŏng** ("spiritual illness") and be cured by a special **kot** ("ritual") by a practicing mudang (as Yŏngsu did for Ch'ŏn'gŭm).

2) The lands mentioned by Munhyang and Kyerang: **Middle Kingdom** (China), **Land of the Rus'** (Russia), **Land of the Southern Hwal** (Vietnam), **Great Island of the Taíno** (Cuba).

3) The **Tuman-gang** is the Tumen River that flows northeast from Paekdu-san to the East Sea (Sea of Japan), forming the northeast border between North Korea and both China and Russia. **Yongsan** is the special ward of Sŏul, located south of downtown, where the Korean Ministry of Defence and the headquarters of the United States Forces in Korea are located. The **Imjin-gang** is the Imjin River that forms part of the Demilitarised Zone north of Sŏul. The **Kyŏng'won Line** (the term is a contraction of "**Kyŏng**gi-**Won**san") was the rail line that connected Sŏul to the city of Wonsan on the East Sea coast at the northern end of Kangwon province; the line was severed north of Tongduch'ŏn at the DMZ thanks to the Korean War of 1950-53.

4) Korean terms used by the mudang meeting at Huch'ang, which are all near-readings of the Chinese characters in the language of the Land of the Morning Calm: **Munhwa** (Bunka [the period name in Japanese history from January 1804 to April 1818]), **T'usa** (tōshi), **Samguk-shidae** (the Three Kingdoms Period, which can apply to both the time in China between 220-280 C.E. and the time in Korea from 57-668 C.E.), **Huhan** (the Latter Hàn Dynasty), **Hyoyŏng Emperor** (the Xiàolíng Emperor), **Kog'ok** (magatama), **Nag'yang** (Luòyáng), **Wae** (Wa, early name for Japan), **Yu Koing** (Liú Hóng), **Hwang Wŏr'yŏng** (Huáng Yuèyīng), **Sun Uk** (Xún Yù), **Mun'yak** (Wénruò). Note that in Sŏul-dialect Korean, the "**oi**" diphthong is pronounced "wheh."

5) Other Korean terms: **Changsŭng** – the "village guardian" totem poles erected to ward off evil spirits; **Halmŏni** – Grandmother; **Annyŏng hashimnikka** – "Peace be with you" (formal greeting); **Miguk-saram** – American person ("Miguk" means "beautiful country").

6) To clarify the immigration rules for Korea: One must either be married to a citizen of the Republic of Korea or have invested at least $5,000,000 American in the local economy before being granted citizenship by the Ministry of Justice.

7) **SK Telecom** (written in han'gŭl as _Sŏn'gyŏng T'ellek'om_; **Sŏn'gyŏng** is often Romanised as "Sun Kyung" [hence "SK"]) is Korea's largest mobile communications company by market share (50.5% share in 2008) and was the first company to commercialise the use of the HSDPA (High Speed Data Packet Access) enhanced 3G wireless data transmission system beginning in May 2006.

8) The Korean calendar marks Year 1 as equal to the year 2333 B.C.E., when legend stated Tan'gun-wanggŏm founded Ko-josŏn (the first unified Korean state) at the site of modern-day P'yŏng'yang. The Korean year 3905 is 1572 C.E. and 4338 is 2005 C.E.

9) The _Kōhaku Uta Gassen_ (literally "Red and White Song Battle") is the competition hosted by NHK between two groups of singers (red for female singers or groups, white for male singers or groups) on New Year's Eve every year; the event started on radio in 1951 and switched to television several years later. The performance normally lasts about four hours these days. The audience votes for which team performed the best every year. To get the chance to perform at the _Kōhaku_ can give any singer in Japan a massive boost in publicity. It is the most popular show in Japan and is often played on ethnic stations in Canada and the United States.

10) The manga and anime _Zipang_ wasn't the first time a science fiction writer has explored moving modern technology to a past age to confront the question of the results of changing history. The movie _The Final Countdown_ (released on 1 August 1980 and depicting an event on 6 December of that year) by United Artists was an earlier exploration of this theme. It was one of the first films depicting the modern Nimitz-class carriers in action; the crew of U.S.S. _Nimitz_ actually guest-starred in the production, even in speaking roles. Captain Matthew Yelland was played by Kirk Douglas in that film. Also starring in it was Martin Sheen as Warren Lasky, James Farentino as _Nimitz_'s CAG Commander Richard Owens (later Richard Tideman), Katharine Ross as Laurel Scott (later Laurel Tideman) and Charles Durning as Senator Samuel Chapman. Unlike what is depicted in _Zipang_, in _Final Countdown_, the _Nimitz_ didn't succeed in stopping the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbour, though Owens was trapped back in time and was forced to assume the identity of Tideman (who would later become the man who helped build the _Nimitz_).


	19. Saga of the Clones

Tomobiki, Senshōbu-jinja (Sakurambō Sakura's shrine), after breakfast . . .

"Hai! Please have a very good day!"

"Arigatō, Saki-chan!"

As the laughing and giggling junior high students attending Senshō Middle School – which wasn't too far from Tomobiki High School – Sakura Saki could only beam before she sensed the woman her genetic "brother" had worshipped from afar come up to her, accompanied by her own mother. "Well done, Saki," Sakurambō Sakura said with a nod, that echoed by Sakurambō Echiko's approving nod. "Always remember that children – especially when they're that age – need special encouragement at this time of year. They're about to take the next step up in their scholarly careers. It scares them, so you have to do everything to can to give them hope for the future. If it's done right, they'll sail right through the very next year with flying colours."

Saki beamed. "Being empathic helps out," the raven-haired, brown-eyed apprentice shrine miko stated as she adjusted the top of her kimono. She wore a sports bra underneath the standard clothes of her chosen trade, but foundation garments like that made her – as it did many other Avalonians – quite uncomfortable. Still, she and her small troupe – the last remnants of the Niphentaxian group that had carefully watched over the "Holy Clerical Friend Sakurambō Sakura" – had elected to support the object of their brothers' direct veneration in whatever way they can, which would mean either careers as nurses or Shintō shrine miko once the Japanese government got to organising special versions of the Centre Test for those Avalonians who were mature enough to undertake them so they could advance into university studies. "Still, it is hard for me or the others to fully make ourselves believe what you easily take for granted, Sensei." Sakura had been more than grateful when Saki and the others stopped calling her "Sakura-sama" as they had done in the beginning. "Even if we should be able to believe as we do, our being bioroids does tend to interfere."

"I've noticed that," Echiko said as she gazed in amusement at one of her daughter's young apprentices. "Let it come eventually, young Saki. I know it's seen as proper for your kind to not speculate on what lies beyond the Veil of the _Te'a_, but those of us not blessed with that 'inner eye' of yours can't really conceive of what likes beyond the mortal plane. That is why we developed faith and religion. But sooner or later, you yourself might become curious as what lies Beyond. You'll want answers. And even if the answers will seem imprecise and incomplete, faith will give you comfort."

"True . . . " Sakura breathed out, and then she sighed. "By the way, I just got this picture message from one of the boys in Moroboshi Ataru's class."

She handed Saki her camera phone; even if she didn't care for some of the advanced things people got on cell phones these days, she did have one since it did help with both her work at school and in the shrine. Saki took it and flicked the screen back on again . . . before she blinked. "Oh, my . . . " she breathed out.

"What is that?" Sakura asked.

The younger woman was quick to sense the mixture of concern and fear in the older miko's voice. "By the looks of it, a technologically-advanced representation of the _Keiseiri'cha_, the Master of Entropy that is often mentioned in the ancient myths of the Fourth Sagussan Republic," she then said. "When was this taken?"

"Last night aboard the _Yamato_."

That make Saki blink, and then she sighed, handing the phone back. "Let me get my PADD and send a message up there to learn what happened. Mika!"

"Hai?" Ōmisoka Mika called over from her position by the entrance to the _heiden_, where offerings to the kami enshrined here were made.

"Take over here! I have to get my PADD!"

"Hai!"

Saki headed off to the small house located at one corner of the shrine grounds where Sakura and her mother lived full-time. "It is ominous," Echiko then mused as she took her pipe and pulled deeply from the tobacco within. "Something like that – and if young Saki is correct, it is associated with the Sagussan god of _death_ . . .!"

"I knew there was something going on inside Ataru, but not something like THAT . . .!" her daughter hissed out. "Why didn't Hiromi mention this?"

The elderly miko hummed. "I can't say. From what I can sense of those spirits who once inhabited that poor boy's mind, the reborn Emperor of the Gokan is steadfastly loyal to Ataru. She would do NOTHING that would possibly bring him harm, either physical or emotional. If she does know of this – and clearly, she must – she may fear that revealing this secret would cause permanent harm to Ataru. She would rather DIE than do something like that!" A shake of the head. "And deep down, I can understand that."

"Okā-san! If such a dark kami influences Ataru . . .!"

"Does it really?"

Sakura blinked. "I don't understand . . . "

"How has the young man behaved since he got back?" Echiko asked.

The younger miko considered that for a moment, and then she sighed. "He hasn't hit on a girl whatsoever since he got back. Whenever he has flirted with girls, it's with girls who are attracted to him like Chigaiko . . . or girls he's been close to in the past such as the Dragonspeaker and P'yap'ya. But I can tell he has the same urges that he did before Negako got out of his head. Without Negako driving them, those urges have no means to express themselves. And he's . . . " A smirk. "He's able to think much more clearly. He may not be as overtly uncaring as Tariko is, but he clearly remembers what I accidentally unleashed on him. He doesn't want anything to do with me anymore. Anything I say to him, he won't listen to. I . . . " Sakura then sighed. "I suppose I can't blame him for feeling that way. Or Tariko for that matter. But . . . "

"Why would he not listen to his parents anymore?" Echiko then wondered.

Sakura snorted. "Easy. They're still hurting over losing Kaeru like that. They don't want Ataru because he's not Kaeru . . . but they also know that if they drive him too far, he'll walk away and cut all ties with them once and for all, effectively leaving them childless as Hiromi and Tariko – and Negako as well – would automatically go with him. With Hiromi as the Matriarch of the Clan and with Tariko and Negako supporting him, he doesn't have to worry about any sort of retaliation from his mother or father. They could scream at him 'You're not my son!' . . . and he'll move out right then and there. AND never give them a chance to try to redeem themselves in his eyes." She sighed. "What's worse, they really don't realise that something like that's coming. His going back to them made them think that all was as before – without Hensō being there – so they didn't have to change."

"And that will hurt them."

"What do you mean?"

Echiko shook her head. "An abused child – once he wakes up to the fact that he HAS been abused – will do anything to ensure that he will not be placed in such a vulnerable position ever again. Yes, the Earth Angel did influence Ataru to allow such abuse to occur; it was a constant and steady source of ki for the Earth Angel to use when she felt the time was right. Ataru knows that now and he's forgiven her for doing that, as the magic of the Sacred Promise of Bunka Go-nen ultimately demanded of him." She gazed up at Sakura. "Because he was being emotionally abused by his mother – and less so by his father – for so long, he was quick to accept whatever abuse Hensō heaped on him as acceptable. He in fact came to _like_ the idea of her trying to unleash her 'divine punishment' on him when he was chasing girls. Part of him was thrilled at having such a beautiful woman close to him . . . but that part also probably accepted the fact her being so harsh to him proved that she loved him." She pulled on her pipe. "And then the Dragonspeaker came . . . "

"Kyech woke him to the truth."

"Hai," Echiko said with a nod. "And now that he knows the truth, he will not accept such behaviour as he received in the past. He's being rather kind about it now, but young Mendō and Hensō's so-called 'Stormtroopers' are tempting a disaster they may not survive, either emotionally or physically. His parents are in the same position. So is anyone else who might have hurt him in the past." A sigh. "You may be seen in that category, as is your uncle. Though I suspect there is still some respect for you he may still hold. You do try your best even if you sometimes fail."

Sakura smiled at that comment from her mother, and then she sighed. "So what should I do?"

"Come down hard on those who would seek to judge what they don't truly understand," Echiko stated, and then she perked as Saki made her way back towards them, a dataPADD in hand. "Ah! What did you learn, young Saki?" she then called out.

Saki sighed, handing the device over. "See for yourself, Obā-san."

Sakura and her mother looked . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, homeroom period . . .

"A time-trip?"

"To the year 1572, the third year of Genki," Negako stated as she gazed on the Principal and Onsen Mark. Kotatsuneko was also there, playing host as he enjoyed some morning tea. "Five years ago, a group of soldiers and a young scientist, Kim Suyŏn, working on a joint Korean nuclear missile project, were propelled through a time-warp to 1572, landing on the shores of the Amnok-kang near modern-day Huch'ang in Ryanggang Province. The remnants of the time-warp was detected yesterday by the _Paekbŏm_'s sensors. Yu Chung'won, the National Intelligence Service agent now in charge of operations aboard _Paekbŏm_, informed Hiromi of what happened. Hiromi – on hearing that Suyŏn managed to develop an intercontinental ballistic missile design with STEALTH capabilities – decided that a rescue was called for. It will be done Saturday."

"And thanks to an Avalonian apprentice shaman in Tongduch'ŏn who was visited by Kim-sensei's younger sister and mother, Hiromi-kun felt it only proper to visit them immediately so she could brief them on what happened and reassure them all will be well. Perhaps even bring them along on the rescue mission to 1572 to allow them to be reunited with Kim-sensei right then and there," the Principal then stated before he nodded. "My, that sounds quite exciting. I'm a little disturbed by the idea of the Koreans developing a nuclear missile they could have employed against us – for understandable reasons of vengeance, of course – but forcing people from five years ago to live on the very frontiers of Chosŏn in the late sixteenth century is certainly not a pleasant thing to contemplate. Will you go with her?"

"Unfortunately, I cannot," Negako answered. "As I did exist in a non-sentient form at the time, my presence back then might cause a considerable disruption to the flow of history. Perhaps provoke my 'awakening' years before it actually did happen." As the Principal and his chief deputy nodded, she added, "But the extraction is quite straightforward and can be realistically done within a couple hours at the least. If they do not get distracted by the Jušen who were raiding into what were then P'yŏng'an and Hamgyŏng Provinces in that period, they will leave and return everyone back to their base in Huch'ang by sundown on Saturday. That, I am sure, will convince the government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea that the Avalonians ultimately mean them no harm, thus make them execute some necessary governmental reforms to make their country more welcome to immigration from the bioroid factory. At least two million Avalonians wish to live there. With their arrival, the matters concerning the many failures of the economy in the Democratic People's Republic will be smartly and rapidly addressed, the famines that have struck that part of the world stopped and a significant step towards final reunification of the peninsula under one government will be taken."

Onsen snorted. Like many Tomobiki natives, he didn't have any problems with Koreans in general, but he didn't personally care for the people running the North. "Will they even accept such help . . . or will they bungle it?"

"Mark, even Kim Chŏng'il understands the concept of not killing the goose that has the ability to lay golden eggs," the grandmaster stated with a smile.

Both men laughed. "Well, let's hope for nice and safe trip for your sister and whoever goes with her on Saturday . . . " the Principal said . . .

. . . before the door to his officer flew open, revealing several older men in various clothes. Negako was quick to recognise all of them: Marubeya Nobukoto, Arakida Hiroichi, Yamagata Yasuzō, Obinata Nobukiyo and Gekasawa Tsuyata. "We want to talk to you!" Momoe's father then stated without preamble as they moved to kneel beside the table. "You are going to expel Moroboshi Ataru from this school at once! You will also get rid of his so-called 'sisters' while you're at it! We will NOT stand back and allow a monster like THIS to be anywhere close to our daughters!" With that, he took out a printout and slapped it on the table before the Principal.

The elderly school administrator looked, and then he blinked. "Oh, my dear . . . " he breathed out as Onsen gaped and Kotatsuneko blinked, his eyes wide. "Um, Negako-san, I assume this has something to do with the incident at Morningstar Plain on Okusei that your brother and Kyech-san were involved in," he then asked.

Negako looked, and then she nodded. "That is correct."

Noting that the grandmaster was being her normally calm self – when she WAS concerned about something, she would make note of it – the Principal then nodded. "I would therefore assume that this transformation ability of Ataru-kun's is something he didn't expect to have happen to him, then," he then noted before sipping his tea, inwardly smirking on seeing the visiting fathers all gape in shock at him.

"It was unexpected. And to date, I cannot state with certainty as to HOW Ataru gained such a power," Negako said before sipping her own tea. "This picture was taken last night by Michisato Tsutomu in the detention level aboard the _Yamato_; I did detect several camera phones taking pictures of Ataru when he was confronting a group of rebel Urusian pirates that had come to our system in hopes of acquiring Avalonian sex-slaves for themselves given the dearth of women living on Konton, their current home base. Given that Ataru gladly volunteered to go with myself and the Noukiite and Yehisrite attack forces that liberated the bioroid factory two weeks ago, anything done by ANYONE to SPIT on his efforts to free such unfortunates from such a dark fate will not be tolerated. And as the Cyborg, Ataru is virtually unstoppable . . . by all save myself."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"Pirates, you said?" the Principal moved to confirm, a frown crossing his face.

"Yes," Negako stated. "They are, for the most part, anarchists amongst their kind. But the people in Onishuto who supported the whole quest to invade Earth last summer see the pirates of Konton – the 'Eo Pirate Kingdom' as they address themselves in a doomed quest to gain some legitimacy amongst the various intergalactic powers – as handy tools to better press their own goals. Which will include doing anything to drive the Noukiites out of this part of the solar system, to say anything of denying any chance by either the Terrans OR the Avalonians the use of technology – especially of a military nature – that would give us a clear edge against the Urusians."

"They're arrogant racists, you mean?" Onsen stated.

"Exactly," Negako stated. "To them, we are 'tailless monkeys.' In essence, ANIMALS that do not deserve any sense of common courtesy. I must note that the Urusian Imperials, for the most part, feel that way about ANY race that is not their own."

"Well, then . . . "

"_**HEY!**_" Hiroichi snapped. "_**WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH MOROBOSHI?**_"

"It has EVERYTHING to do with Ataru-kun, Arakida-san!" the Principal then snapped, which made all the visiting fathers gape in shock; to even HEAR the elderly school administrator raise his voice in anger was a rare thing. "Have you ever taken the time to really understand what's happened here since Hensō-kun came to us last summer? This doesn't have anything to do with Ataru-kun's past indiscretions against your daughters and the other ladies resident in this city! That has been dealt with!"

"Oh?" Hiroichi snarled. "What about last weekend?"

"Last weekend?" Onsen asked.

"Ataru went on a date with Hiroichi's daughter Yui. It was an overnight stay about the _Yamato_," Negako explained. "They were chaperoned by Kyōno Mari, one of the Avalonians who live in town. And while they did explore each others' bodies, never ONCE was Yui penetrated in any way, vaginally OR orally!" As Hiroichi nearly croaked on hearing that blatant statement, the ninjutsu grandmaster added, "If you wish to verify that, you can simply ask Fusae to do a full examination of Yui. Though I suspect that once such news gets back to Yui's mother Fumiko, Hiroichi here will be most thoroughly punished."

Hiroichi was now deathly pale; he did enjoy an intimate relationship with his wife . . . and he KNEW that Fumiko would hit the roof if she heard about his effectively saying that their daughter had LIED about something like THAT. "If you wish, sir, I'll be glad to ask Arakida-kun to come to the office to explain what happened," Onsen said.

"Do so, Mark," the Principal stated.

The vice-principal walked out of the room. "WAIT A MINUTE!" Tsuyata then snapped. "Why the hell aren't you bringing Moroboshi here? HE'S the guilty one, not poor little Yui-chan! He's the one that's been causing problems here . . .!"

"The past is in the past, Gekasawa-san!" the Principal snapped again, causing all the fathers to recoil in shock at the force of his voice. "It is done and to be forgotten! Don't you know that Ataru-kun and his siblings enjoy the support of the IMPERAL THRONE these days?" As the fathers all gaped at him, the elderly school administrator sighed. "While I understand your concerns towards the safety of your daughters, I CANNOT and WILL NOT support the use of a _kangaroo court_ on one of my students by people who can't simply be bothered to understand the TRUTH of any situation! If you cannot understand that, then I guarantee that whenever something odd or disruptive strikes this town again, Ataru-kun will NOT raise a finger to help resolve it!"

His eyes then narrowed. "Have we not forgotten the world oil-theft incident from last summer? That was provoked by Hensō-kun's so-called 'stormtroopers' despite what the local papers claimed. Right after it happened – DESPITE all the work the Men in Black did to ensure all the stolen oil was properly returned and cleaned up – _**'Usāmah bin Lādin**_ issued a _fatwā_ demanding the **_deaths_** of the 'alien devil's worshippers' and all who supported them . . . which, by the way, did NOT include Moroboshi Ataru since the Islamic world looks upon him as a humble and honourable hero for saving Earth in the first place! If news of you forcing him out of Tomobiki – which is what will ultimately happen if you press through with this idiocy – you can then be more than certain that a _**suicide bomber**_ from al-Qā'idah will be along shortly afterward to strike back at the 'infidels that caused such grievous offense against a young and righteous ally of Islam by their support of the alien devil-woman Lum.'" He sipped his tea as the fathers all turned a sickly grey as they recalled what the infamous Saudi billionaire's son-turned-militant religious terrorist had unleashed on New York City and Washington on a bright September morning nine years before.

"And be assured of this, gentlemen," Negako coldly said. "We will not raise a finger to stop such a bomber from carrying out such a mission against this town and this school should you force Ataru and his siblings out." As all the visiting fathers began to look faint at the idea of their own children being targeted by _**al-Qā'idah**_ of all things, she smirked. "Remember that despite what you believe, people OUTSIDE the borders of Tomobiki know the truth about Ataru and what he did for all of Earth. Every high school, public or private, across the country would have _honour duels_ to welcome Ataru, Tariko and Hiromi as students there. And I also remind you of this: Hiromi's links to Liú Hóng, the Xiàolíng Emperor of Hàn – 'Reitei' as you know him here – are not known to tōshi in general, but they **_will_** soon awaken to the fact that their lost 'emperor' now lives. If it comes to the attention of people such as they – who rank amongst them fighters that would even impress ME! – that their reborn _EMPEROR_ was driven out of her home because of such selfish behaviour, their vengeance against you AND YOUR CHILDREN will be . . . _dire_!"

The men all jerked on hearing that . . .

. . . and then they jolted on hearing people clear their throats.

"Ah, ladies," Negako then said as the fathers all turned around to see their daughters – in fact, save for Miyake Shinobu, Inu Chigaiko, Tsuruya Rumiko, Fujinami Ryūnosuke, Mendō Tachiko, Moroboshi Tariko and Moroboshi Hiromi, ALL the girls in Class 1-4 were standing there! – at the doorway to the Principal's office, incensed looks on their faces and burning ki auras eminating from their bodies. Arakida Yui had a rather BIG ki-mallet in hand marked with the words **ULTIMATE IDIOT BASHER** in katakana on the side. "I assume you are here to severely upbraid your fathers for their lack of understanding towards you and your desire to enjoy intimate relationships with your peers?"

"That we are, Negako-san!" Momoe said in a deadly hiss as she glared at her father, which made him wilt. "Would you paralyse them so we can drag them outside before we beat them down? I don't think Kōchō-sensei would appreciate blood on his floor."

"Dōmo, Momoe-kun," the Principal said as he turned back to his tea. "Please don't take too long."

The fathers all jerked, and then they tensed as Negako stood up . . .

* * *

Class 1-4, lunchtime . . .

"Those stupid, selfish, blind, idiotic MORONS . . .!"

Ataru looked up from his desk to see Yui snarling away as she and her friends tried to eat their lunches. He then shook his head before he turned to gaze on Tariko; both of them were waiting on Hiromi to return with takeout from whatever restaurant in Tongduch'ŏn she was going to with Yu Chung'won, Kim Suhŭi and her mother Kong Hyojin after her meeting with them at the Reverend Grandmother Chŏn Yŏngsu's temple on Mount Soyo. "There are times that parents can't help but be morons, Ataru," his twin then whispered before turning back to the book she was reading. "We didn't luck out at got two morons for parents. They're luckier; they only have to deal with dumb fathers."

"Yeah, that's true," Ataru breathed out, making Chigaiko – who was holding off on her own lunch until the reborn emperor returned so she could eat with them – laugh out loud. "But you have to admit, even if the dads are being idiots, they do have their hearts in the right place." He then stared at his sister. "Would YOU like the idea of a daughter of yours being raped?" he asked. "I wouldn't."

"No, I wouldn't either," Tariko said as she flipped a page.

"Hello, everyone!"

People turned as someone walked in, a restaurant take-out carrying case in hand. "Hey, Hiromi!" Ryūnosuke called out as the reborn emperor walked over to place the case on her desk. "So what happened? Kim-sensei's parents goin' along on that trip on Saturday?"

"Well, at least Kim-sŏnsaengnim's sister is coming; I don't think their mother would survive such a journey without serious harm," Hiromi answered as she opened the case to draw out capped bowls of stew. "Anyone for _sagol komt'ang_?" she called out.

"_Sagol komt'ang_? Oh, Hiromi, you got the _good_ stuff!" Tariko said as she and Ataru came over to get their bowls. "Hey, Kyech! Kikanjū-chan!" she then called out towards the window. "We got _huep' et'muk_ if you want some!"

Many of the students gasped as the Dragonspeaker's head peeked through an open window. "Did you say there is some _huep' et'muk_?" Kyech then asked.

"Courtesy of a very kind widower who runs his own traditional country restaurant within the urban area of the noble city of Tongduch'ŏn. Which, I believe, is the Korean equivalent of the good city of Ch'ekchatech on the northern shores of the southern continent of Noukiios in Yek'i," Hiromi answered. "We even have some local _etanuk_ if you're interested in trying that out as well. Come eat."

Kyech nodded, then teleported into the room with At'at'at' at her side. Many of the students watched as the visiting Noukiite free warriors got seats for themselves, and then – after offering prayers to the Hearth Angels for the food they were about to eat – moved to dig in. Instantly, eyes locked in on Kyech as she took up the chopsticks and began to enjoy the locally-made beef bone stew with servings of rice on the side as well as all the _panch'an_ dishes that came with a traditional Korean meal. As the Moroboshi siblings dug in, Ataru and Tariko both smirked as they noted how dazed many of the onlookers were becoming on seeing how _impeccable_ the Dragonspeaker's manners actually were when eating. Hiromi was also quick to notice this, but she could control herself. Of course, since she had spent months and years at her beloved friend's side, At'at'at' didn't react at all.

"Twelve side dishes?" At'at'at' then asked as she gazed on the servings of kimch'i (there were four different types of that), plus six types of marinated _namul_ and two types of _tchim_. "Does this fellow cook for a noble house, Hiromi?"

"No. He normally serves a _ch'ilch'__ŏ__p pansang_ – to you, _ip'emek' k'uchhuk_ – to his normal customers, but when he heard I was related to Onii-san here, he got all the special _panch'an_ dishes he saves for the festive occasions," Hiromi stated. "Even more so, he was more than willing to let me borrow a carrying case so I can bring food to my siblings as well as you two. If we get the chance, I'll take you both there – say on Sunday after we've done our little rescue mission into the past – to show you around."

"The _at'hinguk'u_ cares for his craft," Kyech stated. "I will like to see it."

"K-k-Kyech-san . . .?"

She turned to see a stammering Masanobu Kinuyo, a pretty girl with long wavy brown hair and brown eyes, kneeling beside her, her bentō box out for the Dragonspeaker to inspect. "W-w-would y-y-you like s-s-some homem-m-made _meron-p-p-pan_ . . .?"

Kyech smiled. "Your mother made the _meron-pan_ for you, Kinuyo. Do you wish to make her upset if she learns you did not enjoy them yourself?"

Kinuyo blinked, and then she blushed. "Um, n-n-no . . . "

"If you wish to bring some for others, you must tell your mother to make them for others," the Dragonspeaker gently stated. "She will be very happy to know that her cooking is being appreciated by other people, but it would upset her if she learned that the one she cooks for the most – you – did not enjoy her food. Understand?"

The young girl blinked, and then she nodded. "H-h-hai!"

She headed back to join her best friend, Ichimonji Rinako, a girl with reddish-brown hair tied in side-by-side pigtails and dark hazel eyes. As they began to chat away with each other, Kyech smiled as she returned back to her meal. Watching this from nearby, the Mendō siblings, Shinobu and Ryūnosuke were stunned speechless. "For a woman with the power of the gods, Kyech-san has the manners of a princess," Shūtarō noted before turning back to his own meal. "What an interesting dichotomy."

"She's like a whole bunch of fishermen's kids I've met over the years," Ryūnosuke said as she turned back to her own meal, which had been made by Adachi Taeko aboard the _Yamato_ before she came back down to Tomobiki since she hadn't had the chance to get back to her bedroom by the cafeteria; that was also the reason she was in seifuku today in lieu of her normal boy's gakuran. "They're as tough as nails on the outside, but nice and quiet on the inside. Does she still have her parents?"

"No," Shinobu whispered. "Kuohu-san – one of the two girls who brought us back to Earth after we found out the truth about Hensō and Ataru-kun – said they died in a ground car accident outside Ryekkyuk on the northern continent of Noukiios when she was about fifteen. She's been alone all her life since then. Save for At'at'at'-san." A sigh. "And Ataru-kun, too."

"He certainly has taken their breaking apart very well," Tachiko mused.

Mendō shuddered. "He shouldn't have . . .!"

"What?" his twin then asked. "Betrayed Hensō-san? How could he betray her, Onii-sama? He properly divorced her under Urusian law and custom . . . and did it for honourable reasons. Do you not remember what many of the guests at the cathedral in Onishuto said after Kyech-san and Nengmek'i-sama came to reveal the truth about Lum-san? Do you not remember what you sensed when you mind-melded with Lum-san?"

He jolted, and then sighed. "Hai, but still . . .!"

"Shūtarō-san, stop, please!"

He blinked. "Shinobu-san . . .?"

A sigh. "I feel sometimes the same way as you do, but you better remember that Ataru-kun's had to put up to being told to do things he's never wanted to do for a very long time now," Shinobu advised as she gazed on her former boyfriend. "Now that he does understand how harmful such things were to him, he's come to resent it and won't put up to it anymore. He's being nice to you and Megane-san and his friends – even his parents – but we've all seen what happens when his patience runs out. Remember last night?"

The scion of Japan's richest family jerked as he recalled what they had all seen on the _Yamato_'s detention level – fortunately, thanks to Negako's special tea given to him before he went to bed shortly after midnight, he hadn't had any nightmares about being attacked by such a monster – and then he sighed. "Leave it be, Onii-sama . . . " Tachiko sighed.

A knock. "Excuse me."

Ataru perked, and then he looked over. "Who are you?"

The smiling Western woman with the deep blue eyes and wavy caramel brown hair to just past her chin – she looked and dressed like she had just graduated from an Ivy League university in the States – walked inside to kneel beside him. "Forgive me for disturbing you, Ataru-kun," she said in accented Japanese; no doubt, she had been programmed to pretend she was an American who had come to teach English as a foreign language in Japan. "I'm Heather Mitchell. I'm part of Shasta Ianson's group."

Ataru blinked, and then he nodded. "Oh, that's right. Most of your 'owners' were actually girls; that team had the one guy who got charged with apostasy and was executed a month ago." He sighed. "How's Julie-chan doing, by the way?"

"Julie is fine," Heather answered. "If you didn't know this, she is pregnant with Fungi's child; the healers expect her to give birth in late August."

"Is poor Julie-san bonded with someone?"

A smile. "With Terri Hines to be exact, Hiromi-san," Heather answered. "When it was revealed her 'sister' was pretending to be a secretary for Molson's exporting team here in Japan, the Canadian embassy was quick to arrange for the government in Ottawa to award Terri citizenship. She and Julie intend to fly to Toronto as soon as they can to have a civil ceremony there."

"Oh, a wedding! How exciting!" Hiromi gushed.

"Who are these people, Ataru-kun?" Shinobu asked; all of Class 1-4 had stopped eating so they could listen in to this conversation.

"Shasta Ianson and her friends were the 'sisters' of an almost-all girl team – there were two guys in the group – that once were assigned to watch over you, Shinobu-chan," Ataru answered. "One of the guys – his name was Fungi; don't know his family name – was charged with apostasy back in late November; turns out that his great-grandmother was a Vosian, so he ultimately couldn't find it within himself to go along with the flow like everyone else did." He then scowled. "Apostasy is a capital crime on Phentax Two; don't know if they've gotten around to changing that just yet." As many of the students there gasped, he added, "He also didn't care too much for the way his friends' sisters were treated. He became very close to Julie Nike, one of Heather-san's friends whose 'brother' was the other guy on the team." A smirk. "Well, by the looks of it, they got TOO close." He gazed on Heather. "Boy or girl?"

"Girl. They haven't decided on a name yet," the American Terran-form Avalonian replied.

"So what brings you here to see us, Heather-san?" Tariko asked. "Other than to pass on the good news about your friend."

A sigh. "Ataru-kun, Tariko-chan, do you remember the clone gun incident?"

Silence.

"Unfortunately. What about it?" Ataru asked as the other girls in the class all perked on hearing their guest speak of that particular fight between Hensō and Damasu that had nearly swamped all of Tomobiki with THOUSANDS of Moroboshi Atarus!

"We found some clones."

More silence.

"Forgive me for doubting your words, Heather-san, but when Otō-san and Okā-san forced Hensō-san to dismantle her device after the town elders complained to them – and thus got Hensō-san to make Damasu-san do the same thing – all the clones were eliminated," Hiromi stated. "Unless your rather boorish 'siblings' . . . "

"They're cryo-frozen at this time, Hiromi-san," Heather announced.

"How many are we talking about?" Tariko asked.

"A dozen of them, Tariko-chan."

Still more silence.

"TWELVE MORE . . .?"

"_**BE SILENT, TSUTOMU-SAN!**_" Hiromi snapped.

Michisato Tsutomu – he had actually been the one who had moaned out about Tariko and Hiromi making FOUR of Ataru back when the Moroboshi sisters had first come to school – jerked before he turned back to his meal. Not noticed by Tariko and Hiromi but noted by Ataru, all of the girls who wanted to date him were paying close attention to this conversation. "Oh, great!" Tariko then muttered before turning back to her _komt'ang_. "How long are we going to be cleaning up after those morons?"

"Search me, Tariko. Search me," Ataru breathed out.

Kyech then sighed. "I will go look into them," she then said.

"You will stay put and enjoy your meal, Kyech!" At'at'at' then declared. "Our good sister here told us the clones were in preserved storage. You will sit there and finish the good food the noble _at'hinguk'u_ in the Land of the Southern Han was so kind as to prepare for us, THEN go out to look in on the Lady Hiromi's poor brothers!"

The Dragonspeaker blinked, and then she nodded. Suddenly, a half-dozen people – both guys and girls – came up to her, offering food . . .

* * *

Minutes later, as Hanawa Mitsu walked past the classroom to prepare for his first afternoon math lesson, he then blinked on hearing a very odd sound from Class 1-4.

"_**HA-WA-WA-WA-WA-WA-WA-WA-WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAN . . .!**_"

As the math teacher blinked, he then perked on hearing Tariko's voice:

"Pay me."

"Meanie!" Ataru growled.

"You two are just impossible at times," Hiromi muttered.

Hanawa blinked, and then he reached for the back door . . .

. . . before it opened to reveal a rather annoyed Moroboshi Hiromi. "Sensei, please do not concern yourself with this," the reborn emperor then stated as she held up a warning finger. "You do not wish to miss your first class this afternoon."

He blinked several times, and then he nodded. "Um, good point, Hiromi-kun."

And with that, he was off . . .

* * *

Near the Tomobiki Ginza, after school . . .

"Um, Moroboshi . . . "

"Yeah, Mendō?"

"Does Kyech-san ALWAYS provoke that sort of thing?"

Ataru smirked. "She doesn't do it intentionally. But every time we hit an _at'hingnek_ while we were travelling from Nuup't'uch to Huohkyep' before we ran across the bandits on Morningstar Plain, she had a whole crowd of people – young, old and everyone in between – gushing at her because her manners were even BETTER than those of Her Imperial Majesty the Empress. Heck, even Yehisrites were acting like a lot of the guys in the class when they all started offering food to her." Gazing fondly at his former lover as she blushed in embarrassment at his words, he then sighed before gazing on Tariko, who was now 10,000 yen richer. "I just wish I could guess better when people start gushing like they do when they see that! Tariko beats me every time!"

The Stormtroopers and several other members of the class – who were now following Heather Mitchell to the place where she and her group of Avalonians lived – laughed, which made the Dragonspeaker's cheeks redden even more, thus in turn making At'at'at' shudder in indignant anger as she glared at Kyech's former lover. "Stop that, Onii-san!" Hiromi snapped as she glared at Ataru, making Tariko laugh. "Honestly! Kyech-san can't control the way other people react to her when she has something to eat!"

"Hai . . .!" he trilled out.

"Heather!"

Heather turned, and then she waved as a pretty girl – also Western in looks, as were all of Shasta's team – leaned out the window of the five-floor apartment building located across from the entrance to the town Ginza. "Hey, Julie! I brought them!" she said as Julie Nike – a shaggy-haired redhead with green eyes – then flashed a thumbs up before leaning back inside. "This way, everyone," she then bade.

They headed inside, where Julie – who was starting to balloon out with the life growing inside her – quickly came to greet them. After the pleasantries were exchanged, she then waved them to the stairs leading to the basement. "We just got into the storage room where our siblings kept all their secret stuff last night. Shocked us all when we saw the clones inside their freezer tubes."

"Are they alive?" Tariko asked.

"Hai, we can still sense their souls . . . but their body functions are all totally frozen," Julie said as they came to a rather thick metal door resembling what would be used to seal off a bank vault. "We haven't taken them out since we know what happens to clones created by a clone gun when the clone gun is dismantled."

"What happens, Julie-san?" Hiromi asked.

A sigh. "The clones normally VANISH," Julie said as she waved them inside, where Shasta Ianson – a tall, silver-haired woman with grey eyes looking to be in her mid-twenties; her "sister" had pretended to be a woman from Stockholm working at the Swedish Embassy in Tōkyō's Minato Ward, which had got Shasta citizenship in that beautiful European country as a result – was standing. "It's painless, but if clones are placed in some sort of stasis before the clone gun is dismantled . . . "

"The souls of the clones in question are badly affected," Shasta said in accented Japanese as she turned to bow politely to the Moroboshi siblings. "Welcome to our humble home, Ataru-kun. Tariko-chan. Hiromi-san." She then smiled at Shinobu. "Shinobu-sama, you grace us with your presence." As Ataru's former girlfriend turned a deep cherry on hearing that, the leader of this particular team of Avalonians took a deep breath before gazing on the frozen bodies inside the cryogenetic chambers lining one wall of this storage room. "I only wish it was under better circumstances."

Ataru and his siblings looked . . .

. . . and then they sighed on seeing the twelve frozen bodies - dressed quite fashionably in knit vests, slacks and plaid button shirts with ties; seeing that, the Moroboshi siblings then realised that these were all clones made by Aruka Damasu when she tried once again to find some way of gaining vengeance on Redet Hensō by dragging Ataru out on a date so she could suck out his youth with her empathic vampirism. "Man, Onē-san really got a hold of a lot of ki when they were created," Ataru then lamented, which made all his classmates gape at him. As Tariko and Hiromi both nodded, he then gazed on them. "So what do we do with them? They can't live as is and I'm certainly not comfortable with letting these poor folks die . . . "

"Not like Damasu-san so suggested to Hensō-san before the citizens' committee got involved," Hiromi dryly noted. "After the pathetic coward ducked into a garbage can when Hensō-san finally ran her down near the house."

"What would you expect from that brain-dead airhead, anyway?" Tariko asked. "Don't you remember what Ran-chan told us when we met her on Okusei? Her mom beat her so badly at times that she wound up with a split-personality. All sweetness-and-light one minute, raging psychopath the very next minute." As many of the people there winced on hearing that, Ataru's twin then smiled. "I swear, Tachp'uch should've got a medal for helping Ran-chan get her life back together again. What a gal!"

"Poor Ran-chan . . .!" Shinobu breathed out.

"So what can we do with these poor guys?" Ryūnosuke asked.

Ataru sighed. "Looks like I'm about to get twelve more sisters."

"Um, Ataru . . . "

"Yeah, 'Toshi?" Ataru asked as he gazed on Megane.

"Um, much that I do understand why you want to save these poor fellas, but do you really want to clone yourself **_twelve more times_**?" the Stormtroopers' leader then asked. "After all, remember what happened when they got created in the FIRST PLACE!"

"Much that I personally hate to admit it, Ataru-kun, he's got a point," Momoe added. "And while I'd definitely date someone cloned from you, with the way our fathers have been acting over the last while . . . " A snarl entered her voice.

Ataru nodded. "No need to remind me of that, Momoe-chan. Did you at least get some good whacks in on your moron father when I loaned Yui-chan the Idiot Basher?"

She blushed. "Of course!"

Laughter filled the room. "So which way should we go?" Hiromi then asked. "Pattern them after the girls from _Sister Princess_ or _Colourful Kiss_?"

Ataru hummed. "Tariko, you wanna call?"

"Flip it!" Tariko said as he pulled out a 500 yen coin.

The coin was flicked into the air . . .

* * *

Ninety minutes later . . .

A knock echoed at the door. "I got it!" Mackenzie Shatner – she was a woman with long wavy brown hair and hazel eyes whose sister had pretended to be a native of Dublin working at the embassy of the Republic of Ireland; naturally, the staff at said embassy in Tōkyō's Chiyoda Ward had hired her when her existence was revealed and she was being fast-tracked to get citizenship even if the Japanese government was going to also grant her permanent residency status – called out as she headed to the main door, and then she opened it before smiling. "Sakura-san! Cherry-san! Come in, come in!" she said as she waived the Shintō shrine maiden and the elderly Buddhist monk inside.

"We apologise for intruding on you, Mackenzie-san, but we sensed something rather odd at this location and we came to investigate it," Sakura explained before her nose twitched. "Oh, my heavens! What is that I'm smelling?"

Mackenzie giggled. "That's just Connie preparing a nice meal for twelve new sisters we had no choice but to awaken about ten minutes ago," she explained.

Both visitors blinked. "You HAD to awaken them?" Sakura asked as she and her uncle followed their host into the living room. "What's going on?"

"Remember the clone gun incident from back in October, Sakura-sensei?"

Sakura jolted on hearing Hiromi's voice, and then she gazed on the reborn emperor, who had been standing close to the doorway leading into one of the ground floor apartments, now serving as a communal living room for the residents of this building. "What's going on, Hiro- . . .?" she began before she balked. "The clone gun incident?" she demanded. "But I thought that all the doubles of your brother were eliminated after Hensō and Damasu were made to dismantle their clone guns!"

"Sadly, our 'siblings' took the chance to capture twelve of them as a way of studying the-then 'sinful doubter' to learn what made him 'reject the Goddess' like he was doing at that time," Mackenzie stated before she smiled. "Thankfully, they never got the chance to analyse replicas of Hiromi-san's magatama, much less learn of Negako-sama's presence inside Ataru-kun's mind. Clone guns can't replicate any form of meson – which is what Hiromi-san's magatama is made of – and Negako-sama was quite capable of shielding herself from being replicated by either Hensō or Damasu."

"It was just a very interesting ki-gathering exercise for Onē-sama," Hiromi added, and then she then tensed on hearing footfalls. "Ah, there they are . . . "

Sakura and Cherry turned to look . . .

. . . as Kyech, At'at'at', Ataru, Tariko and several of their female classmates from Class 1-4 moved to escort twelve dazed women – all of whom had been fashioned to be the same age as Hiromi's siblings though they didn't look ANYWHERE like them – into the living room. "Oh, my Heavens . . .!" the aged monk stated as he gazed wide-eyed at the newly-woken Avalonians. "What in the Great One's Name happened to them?"

"They were frozen past the time the clone gun that created them was destroyed, Venerable," Hiromi stated. "That badly damaged their souls. Another stupid example of what allowing that sort of technology to run unchecked on this planet provoked."

"And even if they did learn of our being here – which they certainly should have suspected from the start given the addition of the books of the 'Holy Apostles' and all the 'holy friends' from Earth – I doubt they would've done anything to stop it from happening," Mackenzie added as she gazed sadly on the newly-woken girls, who were allowed to sit down on floor pillows that had been laid out for them by Heather and Julie. "After all, one must keep Master Ōgi happy to ensure the Ipraedies and Seifukusu monsters would never come to hurt people who were too cowardly to not see to their own defences," she then stated with a sarcastic whine in her voice. With a shake of her head, the Irish-adopted Avalonian then turned to head towards the kitchen to look in on things with the resident cook.

Sakura and Cherry watched her go, and then the latter sighed. "Christenings are your responsibility, my niece," he said as he gazed on her.

The shrine maiden nodded as she headed into the living room. "I wonder how many other time bombs like this are lurking out there," Hiromi whispered.

"Let us pray, my dear, that this is the last of it," Cherry noted.

The reborn emperor nodded . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) The names of many of the schools in Tomobiki are taken from the **Rokuyō** ("six weekly days"), which are also known as **Rokki** ("six brilliances"), which determine what sort of fortune will be bestowed on people on a specific day. Therefore, I used a combination of "**Senshō**" (good luck before noon with bad luck after lunch) and "**Senbu**" (bad luck before lunch and good luck afterward) to name Sakura's shrine, **Senshōbu-jinja**. The name itself can mean either constant bad luck or constant good luck depending on personal opinion.

2) **Sakurambō Echiko** is the name given to Sakura's mother, who first appeared in the manga story "All of Me" (manga episode #4). **Masanobu Kinuyo** and **Ichimonji Rinako** were names I gave to two girls who appeared in the story "The Mole's Bride" (manga episode #324); they're the two girls that get attacked by the mole on the tenth page of the story in the bottom panels, just before Mendō came charging out to learn what was happening.

3) The era name **Genki** covered the period from April 1570 to July 1573 during the reign of the **Ōgimachi Emperor** (who ruled from 1557-1586).

4) The name **Jušen** is the native term for the **Jurchens**, a Tungusic people who inhabited the area of modern-day Manchuria until the 17th Century, when they began calling themselves the _Manju_ (or "Manchu").

5) The idea of al-Qā'idah going after the Stormtroopers for provoking the "world oil-theft" incident which was depicted in the manga story "Raindrops Keep Falling on My Head" (manga episode #3) was one I pursued in _Lonely Souls_. In the background of this story, the Men in Black – while maintaining their neutrality concerning terrestrial affairs as long as such did not threaten those under their direct protection (aliens wishing to live quietly on Earth at the time) – went forth to ensure potential suicide bombers who could have killed Hensō with a Semtex vest made by DuPont would not have succeeded.

6) **Yek'i** is the Noukiite analogue of **Kyŏnggi Province** (_Kyŏnggi-do_) in South Korea, which is on the western side of the country closest to the Demilitarised Zone with the North. On Noukiios_, Yek'i-ch'e_ covers the northwest part of the southern continent. Suchkyuk is located there.

7) Korean (and Noukiite) food notes: **Komt'ang** is Korean beef bone stew; I ate this stuff by the bowlfuls when I lived in Korea from 1996-2005. It is also known as _komguk_. **Sagol komt'ang** (in Noukiite, **huep' et'muk**) is beef bone stew cooked from the leg bones of oxen. **Etanuk** is the Noukiite version of **Koch'ujang** (fermented red pepper paste made as a condiment), which is used in all sorts of cooking (the powder version of _eta_ is also used on Noukiios to spice tea and spirits as Hiromi showed to Jean-Luc Picard using _koch'u_ powder with her ginseng tea in _Avalonians and Questors_ Part 4). **Panch'an** ("rice food") is the generic term given to small servings of various types of food at a traditional Korean restaurant. Included in the various types of _panch'an_ are different types of **kimch'i** (the fermented seasoned vegetable mixtures that is Korea's best-known culinary dish), **namul** (steamed, marinated or stir-fried vegetables) and **tchim** (steamed or boiled meat, chicken, fish or shellfish marinated in sauce or soup). **Pansang** is the term applied to the actual number of different dishes served in a meal. A twelve-dish (_shib'ich'ŏp_) _pansang_ is what was traditionally served to Korean royalty. Seven-dish (_ch'ilch'ŏp_) _pansang_ was pretty average for me when I ate at a Korean restaurant.

8) **Meron-pan** are sweet buns cooked with an enriched cookie dough which wind up looking like a cateloupe after coming out of the oven.

9) On Noukiios, the traditional village restaurant is always called the **At'hingnek** ("eating house"). The chief cook of an _at'hingnek_ is known as an **At'hinguk'u** ("eating house father") if a man or **At'hinget'u** ("eating house mother") if a woman. The _at'hingnek_ traditionally served as the village meeting hall in classical times.

10) **Heather Mitchell** and her friends were patterned after Niphentaxian observers I introduced in various stories in _The Senior Year_ and in the Anime Addventure. Fungi himself appeared in the _TSY_ side-story "Shinobu - Futures Imperfect" by Phil Gavigan.

11) The "clone gun incident" was depicted in the manga story "All Of Me" (manga episode #107).

12) The whole "**Ha-wa-wa-wan!**" (the onomatopoedic sound effect used in manga to depict when someone is relaxing) joke is taken straight from _Koihime Musō_. This normally happens when Ryofu Hōsen (Ren) comes up to get food from friends, as witness the scene in the _KM_ OVA when Ren came up to Aisha and her companions and was instantly given offerings of food from Kan'u Unchō (Aisha) and everyone else (while all of them were wondering WHY they were doing this). Of course, the ending music of both the _KM_ television series and the following OVA show the same thing; Ren shows up while Aisha and her friends are enjoying a meal and gets a nikuman bun to eat, which makes the others freak out. I came up with the explanation that while Ren (and Kyech) are rather simple girls despite their unholy strength and skill in battle, they are also VERY well-behaved.


	20. The Lost Daishi'cha

The Moroboshi home, after supper . . .

"_Twelve_ more daughters . . .?"

"Emotionally, yes. Legally, no."

Muchi blinked, and then he turned to gaze on Negako. As Kinshō wavered between either breaking down into tears over getting TWELVE more pretty daughters . . . or screaming at Ataru for forcing her to cook for even MORE people – which would, both Mizunokōji Asuka and Kagura Nako noted, earn her several quick blows to the back of the head thanks to the skillet now in Tariko's hand – Hiromi enjoyed her tea. "What do you mean?" he asked as he turned back to gaze on the twelve smiling girls seated nearby, all enjoying vitamin shakes as it was just too soon for them to have proper food.

"As Ataru and Tariko decided they would be – in effect – patterned after the characters in the adult dating simulation video game _Colourful Kiss_, they were given both the given and family names of those self-same characters. In effect, they are really no different than the current crew of the _Yamato_ and the _Haida_ at this time: Patterned after characters of various video games that caught the interest of their would-be master, then expertly constructed to reflect those characters," Negako answered. "Legally, they are considered adopted into the Moroboshi Clan and could – if something befalls Hiromi before she can have children – stand in her place as candidates as a future Matriarch should His Imperial Majesty demand another Council for the Succession." A sigh. "Emotionally, they are somewhat in a better state than the girls now on the _Haida_ and the _Yamato_, though they do possess all of Ataru's memories up to the point where they were separated from him. Thus, they will not go to school until I feel they are ready to confront that. As for their lodgings – as we did not expect to have our immediate family grow by over two hundred percent – I will arrange for the purchase of properties across the street from the front door for them to reside in."

"What about cooking food for them?" Kinshō then asked.

"I can certainly assist them in that, as can every other Avalonian currently living in Tomobiki," Negako stated. "For the first couple of days, they will require soft foods to allow their digestive systems to properly adjust to being fully active. As they do not possess much in the way of personal belongings – though I suspect many will seek to change that within a fortnight – they can reside in either the dōjō or the guest house as there are two other bedrooms in the building not being used until new quarters are obtained for them."

"They can sleep with us, too!" Nako offered.

"Would you mind such a thing, Nako?" Negako asked.

A shake of the head. "Not at all," Nako stated as Asuka nodded in agreement.

"What?" Kinshō shrilled. "You can't sleep with them!"

"Kinshō, your opinion has no relevance here."

Ataru's mother jerked on hearing that, and then she glared at her son . . .

_WHANG!_

"Quiet!" Tariko snarled after bashing her mother into the living room table.

"So these girls were actually some of the clones Hensō-chan and Damasu-chan created back in October?" Muchi then asked, ignoring the pained moan from his wife as she tried to pick herself up from the table. "I thought they were all destroyed when the clone guns were dismantled. How did they survive until today?"

"Cryogenetic freezing at the building now being occupied by Shasta Ianson's group of Avalonians," Negako answered as she sipped her tea. "The Niphentaxians who once lived there were interested in investigating why the 'sinful doubter' was always willing to turn away from the influence of their so-called 'goddess,' so they captured them with some physical enticement, and then placed them in stasis. Shortly after that, one of the members of that team, Fungi dai-Jaideen, was accused of apostasy and taken back to Phentax Two for trial and eventual execution. The distraction concerning Fungi ensured the clones were not experimented on until that group and their peers were removed from Tomobiki last week." A sigh. "Regretfully, before he was dragged off, Fungi left behind a pregnant woman, Julie Nike – the genetic sister of Fungi's co-worker, Juzhi dai-Nyhon – who now has to face the emotional trauma of giving birth to a child whose father has been dead for a month." As Muchi shook his head and his son and daughters all calmly sipped their tea, Negako stated, "Fortunately, Julie is bonded to her friend Teresa Hines, so there will be two parents to care for the child."

"Hopefully, the Canadians will nominate their captain for the _Haida_ sometime soon, so we could perhaps ask him to do their marriage ceremony on the ship," Hiromi noted before finishing the rest of her tea. "And let us pray that this is the LAST time we have to clean up a mess Hensō-san or one of her friends made."

"WHAT?" Kinshō shrilled. "What are you talking about? It was _Ataru_ . . .!"

_WHANG!_

"Shut it!" Tariko snarled after bashing down her mother again with the skillet. "Are you so brain-dead that everything we tell you goes in one ear and out the other?"

"Oh, Onē-sama, would you be willing to go down to Hinata-sō to speak to Keitarō-san about our seeking lodgings there on Saturday?" Hiromi then asked.

"Certainly."

Kinshō gargled as her mind interpreted the unspoken threat of finding herself without children living in her home very soon, and then she passed out on the floor. A second later, a howling laugh escaped some of Ataru's new sisters. Seeing that, Ataru exchanged looks with Hiromi and Tariko before they broke out in snickers . . .

* * *

The guest house, later . . .

"Well, at least I won't be as sickly as my namesake."

Gazing at herself in the mirror after being shown how to put on a sports bra and panties by Tariko, Mishima Akira could only smile as she looked at her reflection. Somewhat slender as women her age came, the lavender-haired girl with the dark blue eyes could only grin even if there was a hollow feeling in her heart where the mad passions that had driven her when she was simply Moroboshi Ataru once were. "Well, at least you'll be treated nice. And be prepared for what might come in the future," Tariko said as she squeezed her new sister's shoulders, which made Akira shudder in delight as she leaned into that touch. "Onē-san's not going to let you get out of her sight until she's satisfied that you all can defend yourself. Especially against some of the idiots out there who might want to come after us by going after you."

"You mean like the people who tried to come after us when we wanted to quit being class rep, Onē-chan?" Akira asked as she gazed up at Tariko.

"Yeah. Most of them got a clue last week when Onē-san and Kyech came here to clean out all of Hensō's so-called 'most faithful,' but there are still idiots out there." Tariko gently embraced Akira, which made the younger girl smile as she relaxed against her sister's body. "Not to mention a problem with gynoids under control of the so-called 'supreme leader' over in P'yŏng'yang. You know about Tamako?"

Akira nodded. "Why would they do that to her, Onē-chan?"

"Simple. She's friends with a Korean girl that's now a gynoid herself, Sŏ Yŏn'i; she and a whole bunch of others now working at the Dobu Salada were transformed by this lunatic from the planet Zeiwan named Conna," Tariko explained. "Think of her as a version of Largo from _Bubblegum Crisis_ and you got the right idea."

Akira scowled. "That's not good . . . "

"Relax. We got it a little under control right now. Hideyuki's got Tamako-chan under his permanent control and he'll probably get Yŏn'i-ya by the end of this weekend. If we have to do it quick, we'll get them turned into Avalonians like we did all of you." Tariko then blinked. "You're not mad at this, are you, 'Kira?"

"Becoming a girl?" Akira asked, and then she sighed. "Well, I suppose it's much better than being _dead_!" she then said. "One minute, I was looking at this really cute tomboy who was flashing a little tit . . . and then I wake up like THIS!" She held up her hands in emphasis. "What am I supposed to feel like, Onē-chan?"

Tariko smiled as she leaned over to kiss her sister's cheek, which made Akira blush. A second later, a knock was heard at the door. "Am I intruding?" Shinobu said as she came inside, a shopping bag full of old clothes in her hands.

"Nah, we're just slowly breaking her in," Tariko said as she leaned over to kiss Shinobu on the lips, and then she took the bag from her friend so she could scan through it and find things Akira could try out. "Go easy on her, Shinobu."

"Hai!" Shinobu said as she gazed on Akira, who was still blushing. "We're friends-with-benefits, Akira-chan. At least a part of you got me in the end."

Akira blinked. "What about Shūtarō?"

Shinobu gazed on her, surprised that this person – who was directly copied from Ataru some months before – was following Tariko's lead in addressing the scion of Japan's richest family by given name. "He's forced by giri to consider marriage to Asuka-san. She's Tobimaro-san's little sister. Did Negako-san tell you?"

A nod. "She's really pretty." Akira then looked down. "No one's prettier than you, though." As Shinobu's own cheeks turned a bright red, the lavender-haired girl then sighed. "I'm not sure if I can get used to the idea of NOT having you in my life anymore, Shinobu-chan. You were always really special to me. I'd miss you a lot."

Shinobu blinked, and then she sighed. "Were you told everything about what Negako-san did to you when you were still Ataru-kun?"

A shrug. "It doesn't matter. The Sacred Promise has been fulfilled and Onē-san is now a beautiful girl, just like I told Oji-san I would help make her become."

Hearing that, Shinobu sighed as she tried not to frown at the fact that her former boyfriend – when he was but a _**child**_ of _**six**_ – made such a life-altering oath like the Promise of Bunka Go-nen. "Akira . . . " she breathed out . . . and then her eyes widened. "Wait a minute!" she gasped. "Akira-chan, do you remember back when you were six? When you went to the planet of pretty women thanks to a girl you called 'Ai-chan?'" As Tariko gaped in surprise at what her lover was presently asking, Shinobu sighed. "Akira-chan, if you do remember what happened, can you tell us? Your brother and sister don't remember a thing about that voyage to Sagussa . . . "

"Sagussa?" Akira asked, and then she giggled. "Oh, sure! There were so many beautiful women there . . . " Her voice then trailed off before she gazed on Shinobu, her eyes widening for a moment. "And there was even a girl who looked like you!"

Shinobu jolted. "Me?"

"Hai! She was Eiuoii-o! But we always called her 'Ei-chan' . . . " Akira then hummed. "Unless there was another Ei-chan around like Eiuoiiaoii – she's the girl that took us to the big, dark place where the pretty girl in the frozen pond was . . . " Another hum. "And there was Eieiioao-o, too. She was really sad once because her best friend got really sick after she went into the warm rock bath and . . . "

"Akira, stop!" Shinobu said, and then she headed to the doorway. "Negako-san!"

"What is it, Shinobu?" the ninjutsu grandmaster stated as she bounded upstairs from the main floor, where she had been watching over some of Shinobu's friends helping many of Ataru's other new sisters try out clothes. "You seem distressed."

"No, I'm okay! But Akira-chan here remembers Ataru-kun's trip to SAGUSSA!"

Negako blinked, her eyebrow arching. "Indeed . . . "

* * *

The Marubeya home, Friday 12 March, early morning . . .

"But Momoe-chan . . .!"

"QUIET, baka Oyaji!" Momoe snarled as she glared down at a sobbing Nobukoto. Watching this from the doorway into the kitchen was Momoe's mother Shizuko, who was shaking her head at her husband's stupidity; after he had dragged himself home the previous day crying over how much his own child hated him, Momoe's mother had given him the tenth degree for causing her baby girl to get so upset. "You can't protect me from every stupid thing that happens out there, so stop acting like you're Nabiki-san's useless father – who practically ABANDONED his daughters when his wife died! – and start being a man for a change! Hell, _**Ataru-kun**_ is FIFTY times the man you are now!"

Nobukoto jolted, and then he began to weep. "My baby hates me . . .!"

Shizuko moaned. "Sweetie, go to school. I'll deal with your father."

"Whack him a few times, will you?" Momoe said as she moved to leave.

"Hai!" Her mother then perked. "Oh, by the way, a girl named Tokiwa Reiko called while you were gone last night. She's one of the Avalonians living here; she was part of one of the groups that spied on Shinobu-chan." As Momoe nodded, Shizuko said, "They're holding a sleepover tonight at their apartment block when some friends come down from the bioroid factory to reunite with them. You're invited to the party."

Momoe considered that for a moment, and then she blinked as memory clicked in. "Oh, that's right! Shinobu-chan was complaining about being invited to a party where there was probably going to be a lot of sex! Guess that's the party!"

Shizuko chuckled as Nobukoto moaned in horror. "My heavens! We're not in Musashino!" she said. "Did the Lillian Girls' Academy move into town?"

"It seems like it, Okā-san! Oh, I might be bringing one of Ataru-kun's new sisters by the house either tonight or some other time!"

That made Momoe's father wail. "New sisters?" Shizuko asked.

"Yeah!" Momoe said as she blushed. "Turns out those dorks that worshipped Hensō captured a dozen of those clones she and Damasu made back in October, then put them on ice so they can find out why the 'sinful doubter' hated Hensō so much." She made finger-quotes on saying that. "Their Avalonian 'sisters' found them yesterday. That's why I had to take some of my old clothes over to the Moroboshi place; one of the girls, Mitsuki-chan, is my size, so I got her some things to start up on her wardrobe."

"Are you thinking of dating her?" her mother asked.

THAT made Nobukoto cry out before he passed out. "Well, I would be tempted, but Mitsuki-chan was really badly hurt when she was frozen . . . " Momoe began.

The doorbell chimed. "Who could that be?" Momoe asked before she headed over to the genkan to open the door and look outside. One look made her gape. "Mitsuki-chan!"

"Ohayō, Momoe-chan!" Karasawa Mitsuki said as she smiled at the other girl. A somewhat studious-looking girl with round reading glasses over pale blue eyes, she had electric blue hair in a bobcut around her head. She was currently dressed in an old pair of jeans and a Tomobiki High Jackrabbits sweatshirt over a blouse; all of those clothes once belonged to Momoe. "I came to walk you to school today."

Momoe blinked as Shizuko walked over to gaze on the pretty girl. As the older woman then began to gush at the sight of someone as cute as Mitsuki – which made her husband groan in horror – Momoe then leaned over. "Um, I thought Negako-san said you girls wouldn't be going to school for the next bit. Why walk me to school?"

"Well, Shinobu-chan – when she brought some of her old clothes for Akira-chan to wear – asked if Akira-chan remembered when Onii-chan went to the planet of pretty girls when he was six." As Momoe gaped before nodding as she recalled what Negako had said about that particular incident, Mitsuki smiled. "Well, we all remembered that – thought I'm really not too sure HOW we remembered it – so Onē-san is going to spend her free periods today putting us into meditative trances so she can copy our memories so that Onii-chan and Tariko-onēchan can finally remember when we went there." She then smiled as she twirled on one foot to show off her clothes. "And since you dressed me up so nicely last night, I wanted to make sure you got to school today."

Shizuko giggled. "Well, looks like you'll be playing with a new doll, Momoe!" she said as she gazed at her daughter, who was trying not to laugh herself. "I thought you finally grew out of playing with dolls!" As a moan escaped the barely conscious man in the living room of their home, she added, "Are you going to keep her?"

"I'm tempted, Okā-san!" Momoe said.

Her mother laughed as Mitsuki giggled . . .

* * *

"Your dad seemed really upset today."

"Well, he's being a dork because Ataru-kun went on a date with Yui-chan last weekend and all the dads think your brother's out to get us into his harem! Just like he vowed back when he was made class representative after Mendō-san came!"

Mitsuki hummed. "Well, supposedly – thought I haven't been given a chance to 'see' it in Onii-chan's memories – we weren't really in our right minds back then."

"Relax. We all forgive you. Besides, it wasn't Negako-san's fault that she suddenly found herself sentient and was trapped inside someone else's head back in 1808 . . . not to mention being trapped in the head of a guy who was DROWNING at the time!" Momoe noted as she and her new friend walked down the street towards Tomobiki High School. "And given how so few people cared for her, it's no wonder that she ended up hating all of humanity as a result. Save for guys like your brother, of course."

A nod. "Hai, that's true!"

"So what was this Sagussa place like?"

Mitsuki sighed. "Really hot and dry. It was a desert all over. You had to stay inside the Chamber of Eternity to stay cool. That's where all the pretty girls the Gatherer brought to Sagussa all lived." She hummed. "Or you could go to the big dome at the south end of Tere'na to be cool." She then giggled. "But when Eiuoiiaoii and Oi'oai-oiiiuo took me to the big dome, we had to take all our clothes off."

Momoe blinked. "Why?"

"They said that something really bad happened there, but they never explained what it was," Mitsuki stated, and then she sighed. "I hope they're okay . . . "

"Hey!"

Momoe jerked as Mitsuki blinked, and then both turned around . . .

. . . to see a group of about ten very large and tough men in black gakuran with the symbol of Butsumetsu High School on their collars. Seeing that, Momoe blanched; given the school's ominous name, Butsumetsu had been plagued with bad luck – in lieu of the simply "weird" luck that often hit Tomobiki High – for as long as people could remember. Sports, culture festivals, inter-school competitions, whatever . . . the high school located at the very southern end of Tomobiki was always at the very bottom of the standings. That had resulted in a rather surly attitude in its students, making Butsumetsu High quite fertile ground for youth delinquency at a level that rivalled any of the infamous Seven Battle Schools of Kantō. And now . . .

"Excuse me, but why are you bothering those girls?"

The gang leader – Momoe recognised him as the man who had led the Butsumetsu High gang over to Tomobiki High the day Hensō had brought an alien projector camera to school to help with a class art project, thus allowing warped delinquent versions of herself, Shinobu, Mendō and Perm to emerge to pound them into dirt – blinked, and then turned around . . . to gaze on a rather pretty girl looking like she was about nineteen or so, dressed in a turtleneck sweater, designer slacks and a windbreaker jacket. Gazing at her, Momoe was struck by the incredible similarity this girl had to Tomoe Hotaru of _Sailor Moon_, save for having brown hair in lieu of black. Her amethyst eyes were under sunglasses and she had an annoyed look on her face as she gazed on the toughs. On seeing her, Mitsuki blinked, and then she gasped. "Ii-chan . . .!"

"Hey! Look at what we got here, guys!" the Butsumetsu leader then cackled. "Some pretty office lady-wannabe who thinks she can stop us from taking these sweet-cheeks for ourselves!" He then made a "come hither" motion with his hand as all of his friends laughed. "Okay, honey!" he challenged. "Show us what you got!"

A smirk. "Your funeral . . .

"_**KURUSHIME!**_"

She made a motion with her hands . . .

. . . and all the toughs began to scream as if they were being hit with a TIDAL WAVE of Hensō's bio-electricity! As Momoe and Mitsuki watched in wide-eyed horror, the ten men literally "danced the funky chicken" as their nerves seemed to be burned alive from the torrent of crimson energy pouring out of the woman's hands. "Oh, gods!" Momoe gasped. "She's some sort of sorceress! She's torturing them . . .!"

"STOP!"

The newcomer blinked as she turned . . .

. . . and then sighed. "So where the hell are the truancy police to deal with these idiots?" she asked with a thick Kyūshū accent before whispering "_Mahiseyo!_" as she made another wave of her hand, that sending out a bright light to hit the toughs, knocking all of them out. "They were about to have a little 'pink party' with these two," she then stated as she thumbed a gaping Momoe and a wide-eyed Mitsuki.

Sakura took a deep breath. "That still doesn't give you the excuse to use a _torture curse_ on normals!" she then stated as she glared intently at the newcomer.

"Relax, it's not a Cruciatus Curse. I modified it so that it only projects the _mental_ feelings of torture. Once they wake up, they won't suffer any ill-effects."

"You're a WITCH?"

The newcomer smirked as she gazed on Momoe. "Some could call me that, though I don't use a wand myself. Too restrictive," she stated. "By the way, that's a Tomobiki High uniform you got there. You happen to know Moroboshi Ataru-chan?"

Momoe blinked. "Um, yes! He's a classmate of mine in fact!" She then smiled as she waved to Mitsuki. "Actually, this here is one of his sisters . . . "

"Ii-chan . . . "

Momoe jolted, and then turned to Mitsuki . . .

. . . who yelped with delight as she did a standing long-jump right into the newcomer's arms. "II-CHAN!" she screamed out as she gave the woman a glomp that nearly knocked all the air out of the latter's lungs. "Ii-chan! Ii-chan! Ii-chan! Ii-chan! Ii-chan! Ii-chan . . .!" she chanted a mile a minute as she rubbed her face into the crook of the older woman's neck. "You came back! You came back! You came back! You came back . . .!" she then moaned before tears overwhelmed her.

Momoe and Sakura blinked in confusion, and then they turned to the newcomer, who was now moving to cradle the weeping woman. "Who are you?" the shrine miko asked.

"Seikō Mie," the newcomer stated. "Formerly _Daishi'cha ii'oa-ii'o-eo_ of the Grand Design of the Fifth Republic of Sagussa. Now apprentice mage affiliated to His Imperial Majesty's Magical Commandery of Kyūshū. So where's Ataru-chan?"

Momoe and Sakura gaped at her . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, Negako's office . . .

"You volunteered yourself to come to Earth from Sagussa to keep watch on Ataru – but due to your lack of experience in dealing with such a clandestine mission and an ion storm that struck your ship just as you were about to make system-fall . . . "

"I wound up with amnesia and crash-landed off Tsu-shima when my adopted parents were there while they were mourning their lost daughter," Mie finished for Negako, and then she sipped her tea. "Who also was named Mie and whom – so I've been told – I bear a very strong resemblance to. So they adopted me as their daughter, made people think I was the real Mie, and then raised me in their home out in Yame near Fukuoka while they had two more children, Tamiko and Suzume. Since I didn't have their psychic powers, I began to learn magic, then apprenticed with a sorcerer in Nagasaki when I realised I had a good gift for the craft." She shrugged. "I managed to get my memories back when groups of Avalonians came down to Kyūshū last week to scout out places to live and one of them recognised me as a Sagussan. With a little help, they got my memories back on-line, and then I came up here to look on you, Ataru-chan."

Ataru – who was now seated between Tariko and Hiromi by Negako's desk; they had also been joined by most of the girls in Class 1-4 as well as all twelve of Ataru's new sisters – blinked, and then he blushed. "Well, I'm glad you're alright, Mie-chan," he said. "I just wish I could really recall you right now. Any memories I do have of the trip to Sagussa are just mental snapshots and all that. Onē-san here managed to put them together into some sort of coherent story for me to understand what happened back then, but I really don't remember all the details of that trip." He thumbed his new sisters, all of whom smiled as their new "big brother" indicated them. "Strange as this will sound to you, these girls have full memories of what happened back then."

"Hence, the reason Mitsuki-chan recognised you when you appeared and took down those toughs from Butsumetsu, Mie-san," Momoe then noted.

"Are you here to take Ataru-kun back to Sagussa, Mie-san?" Shinobu asked.

Hiromi jerked on hearing that question. "Well, if I could, I would offer it, but I can't," Mie admitted. "My ship's a total wreck; it was submerged in the waters of the Korea Straits for over two years before Otō-chan salvaged it to hide it at an old Imperial Navy seaplane hangar at my uncle's place on Tsu-shima. After I got my memories back, some engineers from one of the factory satellites were invited down to take a look at it." She sighed. "I wish to hell Eo'oai-uiuieo was here; she knows Gladiators like the back of her hand." Another sigh. "Then again, I do remember ejecting the warp-sled I put on my ship before I blacked out just before my ship dived into the atmosphere off Tsu-shima, so I don't know if we could find it."

"Yes, there was an odd UFO report from that part of Japan back then," Mendō noted before sipping his ice tea. "But would you go back to Sagussa, Mie-san?"

Mie shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" Yamanobe Saki, the "first" of Ataru's new sisters, then demanded. "It's your home! You've got a twin sister there! You've got friends there! You were even doing silly mushy adult stuff with Ao-chan before we came back to Earth!" The chestnut-eyed redheaded tomboy ignored the snickers from many of her older siblings' classmates on her saying that. "Aren't you worried about them?"

"Well, if they were worried about me, where in the Buddha's Name have they BEEN for the last ten years, Saki-chan?" Mie then asked, a sarcastic tone in her voice. "Yes, they had ships they could've used to look for me if they wanted to! And the distress beacon on my Gladiator could've been picked up by a Rover just like that!" She snapped her fingers in emphasis. "So I have to ask again: WHERE WERE THEY?"

"They abandoned you. Just like they abandoned Onii-san."

People gazed on Hiromi. "Much that I would be tempted to disagree with you on that, Hiromi-chan, you may be right," Mie then said with a tired voice.

"Damn . . .!" Tariko breathed out.

"Well, at least you've fulfilled the mission you set out for yourself in the first place," Sakura then noted. "Even if you forgot everything about Ataru when you came here for ten years, once you DID remember what brought you here, you came to look in on him. And thanks pretty much to Negako-san, he survived so that you could look in on him when you got your memories back." A sigh. "Hiromi, could you loan Mie-san one of your ships to go out to Sagussa to look in on all of her friends?"

A sigh. "Personally – while I AM sympathetic to Mie-san's current situation – I don't want to allow any of the ships to leave Earth's solar system at this time, Sensei," the reborn emperor then stated. "Tsukihana-kun and Ayami-chan did confirm when they were aboard the spacedock where they built the _Haida_ and the other ships that matters concerning the Grand Design of the Fifth Republic were still going ahead. But they also learned of the Non-Interference Directive the _Daishi'cha_ as a whole try to obey unless matters get really out of hand . . . such as what happened forty years ago when the Gatherer destroyed a Kamahanite Ultimate Weapon deployed to destroy the planet Vos because of the many excesses of its ruler, the Mikado." As people gaped at her, Hiromi then gazed on Mie. "Would your sister _Daishi'cha_ cherish the idea of Earth – at its current state of political and cultural disunity – having the technology of the Fourth Republic at their beck and call, even if it is to defend not just us but the Avalonians from outside aggression, as the Urusians and Ipraedies so plotted?"

A shake of the head. "Nope. While Henry – that's the Gatherer's central computer unit – has the capability of thinking out of the box in situations like the whole thing with the Ultimate Weapon, not to mention giving the Neptunians the Central Warp Chamber so they could migrate to Triton, the idea of allowing a 'non-advanced' culture . . . " – Mie made finger-quotes on saying that – " . . . like Earth's to get their hands on Sagussan technology is a big no-no in the eyes of many _Daishi'cha_. Especially if it's military tech like those ships your friends created."

"Even if Tsukihana-kun and Ayami-chan sent the construction spacedock and all the old ships of the Fourth Republic BACK to Sagussa?" Shinobu demanded.

"Even that," Mie affirmed with a nod. "And while I can understand the basic theory behind the Directive – that forcing cultures to change in directions that go against the natural advance of the species is fundamentally wrong – that Earth has groups like the Special Committee on Alien Activities working to keep things under control is a point in your favour. Atop that, magical societies on Earth are – in a way – as culturally advanced as what was on Sagussa before the Age of Gisan'cha, when everything went crazy and the Clone Rights War happened. AND normal society – through science fiction and fantasy – can imagine what being in space and dealing with alien races would be like even if the local science hasn't developed to the point where actual contact with other cultures using technology developed here could happen." A sigh. "Besides, the Urusians effectively showed everyone on Earth that we're not alone in the Universe. It's too late to turn back the clock and let people here develop to that point on their own."

"So we gotta press ahead," Ryūnosuke said. "And hope for the best."

"Yeah."

"Mie-san, can I ask you something?"

Mie gazed on Chigaiko. "What?"

"You were around on Sagussa when the decision was made to leave the bioroid factory on Phentax Twelve, right?" the former basketball player then asked.

"I was."

"What did you feel about that?"

"Personally?" Mie wondered. At the other girl's nod, the fighter pilot-turned-master sorceress sighed. "It was stupid to leave our own BLOOD-COUSINS on that world. Especially after the Niphentaxians started developing the behavioural traits that eventually led to the 'Church of Lum.'" A shake of the head. "That poor girl. She saved a frightened little boy from the Terrible Swamps on Uru near her home ten years ago . . . and he turns around and effectively DESTROYS his whole society just to give that poor girl a sea of worshippers ready to do anything to make her happy and safe." A snort.

"So you would have welcomed the idea of bringing the bioroid factory back to Sagussa, correct?" Hiromi then noted. At Mie's nod, she asked, "Why didn't it happen?"

"In one sense of the term, you all are DESIGNER CLONES, Hiromi-chan!" Mie said with a smirk. "If there's one word that would make a _Daishi'cha_ freak out, it's '_mei'aidoei_.' Just like calling a Noukiite a _ch'ek-uo_ or calling a Yehisrite _wilvirhis'r_. And there's no way that any _Daishi'cha_ – especially after they woke up to their own emotions – wants _**anything**_ to do with cloning!" A shake of the head. "You know, in the last week or so as I've been thinking about how I was literally REBORN to help give birth to a new civilisation on Sagussa, I have to really wonder what the hell the people who launched that whole project ten thousand years ago were thinking. Sending a ship out to pick up CORPSES and regenerating them to life . . .?"

"You're no corpse!" Megane stated.

"I appreciate the thought." As the leader of the Stormtroopers blushed at that comment, Mie then said, "When I was reborn, the regeneration matrix – the 'warm rock bath,' Ataru-chan's sisters will probably know it as – rebuilt my body from basic DNA pattern up. Modified with Sagussan psionics and lifespan potential, of course, but I was as alive as all of you were when you were born." As the people around her nodded, Mie sighed. "I was also programmed with the memories of a person who lived in the last millennia of the Fourth Republic. When 'peace, logic and harmony' was the goal for everyone to live their life even if life really couldn't live on that planet after a five-century HOLOCAUST that killed ten billion people in the end!" As some of the people listening to this winced, the fighter pilot-turned-sorceress shrugged. "Then the _Ashi'cha_ brought Ataru-chan to me and I discovered I could be a lot more than a living logic machine. We all did." A sigh. "I don't know what happened to my sister, my would-be bond-mate and my shipmates when I left to come here and keep watch on Ataru-chan. And even if I'm pissed at them for not coming out to find me, much less look in on Ataru-chan themselves . . . " A smirk.

"You hope they're okay," Shinobu finished.

"Yeah."

"What do you intend to do with yourself now?" Negako then asked.

Mie blinked, and then she shrugged. "I don't have much in the way of plans at this time," she then admitted. "I know now that since the priority is to keep Earth safe – especially from morons who would probably gladly bring an ANNIHILATION DEVICE here if it made their 'goddess' happy! – so I won't be able to make a trip back to Sagussa for a while yet. And I still have to finish some magical theoretical work I began some months ago before I could be seen as capable of taking on my own students."

"Would you be willing to assist in the formation of the Earth Defence Force?"

Mie gazed on Hiromi. "Depends on how those ships of yours – and the aerospace fleets you got based on them – actually work in the long term."

The reborn emperor then sighed. "Shinobu-san?"

Ataru's former girlfriend perked. "Hai?"

"Would you please convey my deepest regrets to Reiko-san and her friends for not being able to attend their party for Yumi-san, Ryō-san and Chisato-san tonight?"

Shinobu grinned. "Of course."

"Onii-san, I assume you will be going on a date with Chigaiko-san after classes?"

"Yep," Ataru said, and then he gazed on Mie. "We'll go on a date, too."

"Of course," Mie said, grinning.

"_**ATARU . . .!**_"

"_**QUIET!**_"

Everyone – especially all the boys – gaped. "Sakura-sensei . . .?" Megane stammered as he stared wide-eyed at the school nurse/shrine maiden.

"Will you STOP that finally?" Sakura snapped. "You are NOT Ataru's mother, you are NOT his father and you BARELY can call yourself his _friend_! Atop that, Hensō is GONE! And she has NO REASON to come back to Earth again, especially after DENYING the fact that she literally STOLE poor Lum's whole LIFE away from her! You were there, weren't you?" As Megane's mouth fluttered up and down in shock on hearing his favourite teacher literally tear a strip right off him for doing something that she hadn't commented on before, she then crossed her arms. "Stop trying to interfere in other people's business!" she shrilled. "If you keep THAT up – or worse, try to instigate something like you did last summer! – it simply wouldn't surprise me if someone who supports _**bin Lādin**_ doesn't come along to put you in your place!"

Megane nearly froze in horror on hearing THAT dire threat. Before anyone else could comment on that, Sakura smiled at Chigaiko. "Have a good date tonight, Chigaiko. But come by the nurse's station in afternoon study hall; there IS something off with your ki aura and I want to make sure you're not developing something that might stem from what the Red Cloak accidentally unleashed on you when he came by on Hallowe'en."

With that, she walked out. Silence fell for a moment, and then Chigaiko turned to stare wide-eyed at Ataru. "Since when did she take YOUR side in anything?"

"I dunno," he noted, and then he perked. "Oh, just remembered!"

"What?"

"The Amane twins won't be around to chaperone; they're part of Reiko-chan's group," he noted. "You know anyone else who could come along tonight?"

Chigaiko hummed. "Well . . . "

"I could call Tazuna and Katsumi," Rumiko then offered.

"Oh, could you?"

"Sure!"

"Dōmo!"

"Hey, Chigaiko!"

Chigaiko looked at Tariko. "What?"

"Tell your sister, too!" Ataru's twin said with a wink.

Chigaiko smirked. "Naturally!" she said before giving Megane the evil eye. "I have no desire to put up with wanna-be bullies with delusions of _adequacy_!" As the Stormtroopers' leader gaped in shock at that statement, the former basketball player smiled. "C'mon, Ataru-kun! Let's leave your sisters alone! We got classes!"

"Hai!"

With that, both walked out of the room. "It's the end of the world . . .!" Koi Shinjin then moaned. "Sakura-sensei's taking Ataru's side over Hensō-chan's . . .!"

"Negako?"

"Yes, Mie?"

"You want me to cook up a 'forget me' spell for these guys?" Mie offered.

All the boys in the class save Hideyuki yelped on hearing that. "Please commence the necessary research," Negako then bade, a particularly chilling smile crossing her face as she gazed on the other woman. "It may be required."

A massive face-fault resulted as all the girls laughed . . .

* * *

The bioroid factory . . .

"I see . . . "

Kei dai-Reinolzu gave Kurama a sympathetic look. Somewhat effeminate in looks, he had blue-grey eyes and long black hair that went past his shoulder blades. He was dressed in quite stylish clothes that accentuated his lean, well-muscled form. Like all other known hybrids between Niphentaxian fathers and Avalonian mothers, he had tapered ears, though they were almost completely hidden under bangs of his hair. "Look, I'm flattered beyond belief that you would ask me to help parent a child, Your Highness," he said in a lilting voice that made Kurama's heart flutter as he gazed tranquilly at her. "But I have a bond-mate who is rightfully concerned about what sort of child I would father as he would desire to help raise said child."

"There is no need for concern, Master Kei," Old One stated. The party from Karasutengu were meeting with Kei and his lover, Kinmi dai-Marreth, in one of the lounges in Gestation Tower 14, which is where both hybrids' mothers had been born. Also in attendance was Kei's older brother Joh and Gav dai-Kasul, an older man who had effectively become the _Amon'cha_ – the elder father even if he WASN'T a father! – of all the male hybrids. On meeting the tall and stern-looking man with the pale grey eyes and the shaggy black hair, Kurama was almost tempted to ask him to be the father of her child. Sadly, he also had a bond-mate, Libt dai-Jalth, who had actually been an apprentice teacher on his home colony before he and his twin sister Naol had been arrested with their mother and placed in cryogenic suspension on the factory until their Liberation. "The child will be . . . "

"I'm more than sure, Elder, that a child born of my beloved and your princess would be well-cared for," Kinmi stated. He was as effeminate as his lover, with his hair actually styled in a high bun at the back of his head. He was also dressed in a very stylish man's kimono and hakama, a sheathed katana strapped to an obi on his hip. "That is not the point we're trying to make, sir. The point is that . . . " A sigh. "Like female Avalonians, male Avalonians have the ability to forge a psi-bond with a child they help bring into the world. It's not as powerful as the mother-child bond that forms while the mother is carrying the child, but it is there. I would assume if you do bear my beloved's child, he or she would be born on your home planet, right?"

"Of course," Kurama said, and then her eyes widened. "Wait! Are you saying that if Master Kei – or any of you for that matter – father a child with me and I take that child back to Karasutengu, then the distance between you . . . "

"Will cause considerable distress," Kinmi said, nodding. "While I personally look upon the laws forcing you to do this as grossly restrictive on your freedom of choice, Your Highness, I can understand your desire to honour those laws and, thus, find a child-mate as soon as possible so that it can be done and you do not have to spend time in a cryogenic chamber anymore."

"But the problem is that if you do bear my child – or a child from any of my brothers – we'll be worried sick about what's happening to the child as you're carrying him or her . . . and after said child is born," Kei stated, his eyes misty. "I would personally be tempted to keep you here in the factory even AFTER a child born from us enters this life. But what would that mean for THEM?" he then asked as he waved to the several Tengu that were perked on the chair their princess now sat in. "You have an obligation to them as their leader. And I cannot – I WILL NOT! – force you to turn away from that obligation. None of us will do that, Your Highness."

Gav sighed. "Look, Princess, two percent of the male hybrids here are un-bonded, but they'll probably say the same thing as Kei and Kimni just did," he said. "I know you don't want to keep striking out like this, but I think you better . . . "

"It's DISGUSTING, I tell you!"

People jolted, and then they turned . . .

. . . as a muttering teenager with shaggy brown hair and hazel eyes under reading glasses stormed into the room. He was dressed like many of his fellow hybrids, though his rather cute face was now twisted with anger. "It's an OUTRAGE, I . . .!" he spat out before his eyes went wide on seeing who was there. "Oh, dear!" he then said as his cheeks reddened in shock. "I'm dreadfully sorry!" he then said as he gazed apologetically at Gav. "I didn't realise you were entertaining guests!"

"What's got you on a tear, kiddo?" Gav asked.

The newcomer sighed as he stuffed his hands into his pockets. "A delightful and quite beautiful young man I took notice of when we went down to Hong Kong to speak to government officials there to start technological trade talks," Kibat dai-Ragot stated. "He was dressed as a very beautiful girl, but it was quite easy to tell he was of our humble gender. Lovely fellow my age . . . " A shake of the head. "And he was being verbally abused by some old hag that I believe was his mother . . . "

The hybrids all laughed. "That's kinda normal on Earth, Kibi!" Gav stated. "They ain't as enlightened as we are when it comes to raising kids, you know!"

Kibat hissed out. "Still . . .!"

"Oh, my . . . "

People looked on Joh dai-Reinolzu. While he did share beautiful blue eyes with his brother, his hair was a sandy blond shade and cut to a taper at the bottom of his neck. Before people could ask him what he was thinking of, Joh smiled as he walked over to gently place a reassuring hand on the shivering Kibat's shoulder. As the younger hybrid gazed up at his friend, Joh then leaned over to kiss his forehead. "I dare say congratulations are in order, little brother," he noted, winking at Kibat as he blinked in confusion. "You just had your time of the month."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"M-m-m-ME?" Kibat yelped as he pointed to himself.

Giggles from some of the other men in the room. "Oh, my! Doesn't it remind you of something, sweetheart?" Kei then said as he gazed fondly at Kinmi.

"Oh, yes, it does, beloved," Kinmi said as his grey eyes glistened with profound amusement. "Now, all we have to do is help young Kibat reel his handsome man in!"

"But this fellow is Terran, is he not?"

Eyes locked on Kurama, and then Gav hummed. "Hey, wait a minute . . . "

People gazed on him. "What?" Joh asked.

The elder father of the male hybrids of Avalon gazed on the crown princess of the Karasutengu. "I got an idea that might help us both, Your Highness."

Kurama blinked . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) _Colourful Kiss_, which was created by the group GIGA in 2003, is an adult parody of one of my favourite dating simulation games-turned-anime series, _Sister Princess_. Since I didn't feel comfortable bringing in the _SisPri_ girls into this series as they are all quite overwhelming personalities in their own right (read _Lonely Souls_ to see what I mean) and would very much clash with Tariko and especially Hiromi, I decided to make use of the lesser-known series to give names and faces to the Moroboshi siblings' new siblings as I really don't intend to have them impact this story very much. Of course, as there is simply NO WAY that Ataru would, in effect, commit incest against any of his sisters, the more perverted elements of _CK_ will NOT be used in this story.

2) **Seikō Mie** was one of the prominent characters in _The Senior Year_. Originally created by Mike Smith and first appearing in "Alternate Lum-san," I later took the character and expanded it to make her Ataru's first true friend outside Lum in Tomobiki, not to mention give her the connection to Sagussa she was later discovered to have. Her _Daishi'cha_ sequential number is 337 (_ii'oa-ii'o-eo_ in Sagussan, said "_ii'iieo_" in short-hand as if you were saying "three-three-seven"). As in _TSY_, she is a Gladiator pilot, formerly of the crew of the Republic of Sagussa Starship _Hasei'cha_, who came to Earth shortly after Ataru's visit to Sagussa ten years ago . . . but suffered a bad accident, got amnesia, and was adopted by an elderly Kyūshū couple who had just lost their own first-born daughter (also named Mie) and saw _Daishi'cha_ #337 as a replacement child. As I wrote the elder Seikō couple and their younger children Tamiko and Suzume as having the same type of psychic powers the Kasuga Clan of _Kimagure Orange Road_ possessed, I began to wonder in recent years if Mie wouldn't be driven to study some sort of paranormal phenomena which could give her similar powers. Magic seemed a logical field of study for her, so I make her a sorceress in this story.

3) The other _Daishi'cha_ mentioned in this part are as follows: _Eiuoii-o_ is Miyake Shinobu's namesake ("**Shinobu-chan**" as I called her in early drafts of _TSY_), who was a civilian administration officer; _Eiuoiiaoii_ is **Lufy** (named after the character from the _Gall Force_ series), who is Mie's shipmate and wingman on the _Hasei'cha_; _Eieiioao-o_ is **Priss** (named after Asagiri Priss from _Bubblegum Crisis_), a Pathfinder (special forces warrior); _Oi'oai-oiiiuo_ is **Catty** (named after the character from the _Gall Force_ series), who is the head doctor on the _Hasei'cha_; and _Eo'oai-uiuieo_ is **Patty** (also named from a character in _Gall Force_), who is the _Hasei'cha_'s chief engineer. The _Ashi'cha_ ("Elder Mother"), called "Ai-chan" by Ataru and his siblings, is **Noa** (named after Izumi Noa from _Patlabor_), who is Ataru's executive assistant in _TSY_. Mie's twin sister is **Hotaru** (named after Tomoe Hotaru of _Sailor Moon_), who is a civilian nurse. And "Ao-chan" is Mie's would-be bond-mate **Makoto** (named after Kino Makoto of _Sailor Moon_), a Sagussan Naval line officer.

4) The incident with the Butsumetsu High School toughs and the accident with the alien camera was depicted in the manga story "Love and Violence" (manga episode #78).

5) Mie's spells were taken from the native Japanese terms applied to spells in the _Harry Potter_ series. **Kurushime** ("Suffer") is the phrase that comes after "Cruicio." **Mahiseyo** ("numb paralysis") is what comes after "Stupefy." They have the same general effects as what Harry Potter does, but as Mie explained to Sakura, the _Kurushime_ spell only affect's a person's mind, not his physical nervous system as the Cruciatus Curse does.

6) A **Magical Commandery**, as I explained in the _Phoenix From the Ashes_ side-story _Wizards and Avalonians II_, is the official name for one of the regional Magical Associations introduced in _Mahō Sensei Negima_. They are divided per the general regions of Japan (Kantō, Tōhoku, Hokkaidō, Chūbu, Kansai, Chūgoku, Shikoku and Kyūshū).

7) The Age of **Gisan'cha** ("Unbounded Technology") is the climatic period in the history of the Fourth Republic of Sagussa. Dating from 24,000-14,000 years ago, this was a time when the traditional way of life among the Sagussans broke down. A massive clone-creation project to allow perfect replacement parts for failed internal organs (like what was depicted as happening on Krypton in the history of the _Superman_ comics as published in the late 1980s) was started at Tere'na-korgh and weapons like the **Haijo-ju** (such as the Staff of Gihan that appeared in _Avalonians and Questors_) were created. This age eventually provoked the War of Clone Rights, a deadly five century-long conflict that ultimately wiped out the old Sagussan race and provoked the launching of the Grand Design of the Fifth Republic.

8) Yehisrite translation: **Wilvirhis'r** – Willing slave (which was inspired by the term introduced in the _Star Trek_ novel _The Final Reflection_ [1984], written by John M. Ford). To use THIS term on a Yehisrite is to effectively write your death-warrant; this is the reason the term "master" is NEVER used on Yehisril.

9) The male Niphentaxian-Avalonian hybrids introduced at the end of this part were also planned to have appeared in earlier drafts of _Lonely Souls_.


	21. The Dragon Sun and the Cityhunter

Tōkyō, Minato Ward, Aoyama Cemetery, before lunch . . .

"It's been a long time, Cityhunter."

Hearing that calm voice with its slight mix of Japanese and southern Chinese accents, Saeba Ryō could only smile as he looked up from praying at his late wife's grave to gaze on the very handsome man appearing to be in his mid-thirties, dressed in a traditional hànfú silk robe once worn by government officials ages ago, with slip-on shoes covering his feet. Beside him was his still-lovely wife, the man known throughout the underground of eastern Asia as "Cityhunter" was quick to note, dressed in a beautiful qípáo decorated with rampant dragons. Ignoring the familiar urge within his body to try to hit on the former Hino Emu, Ryō stood up and offered his hand. "It has been a very long time, Freeman," he said as Hinomura Yō grasped the offered hand and gave him a firm shake. "What brings you two here? Not just to see me, I hope."

The leader of the Bǎibālóng-huì, the largest criminal syndicate based out of Hong Kong, gave the other man a sympathetic look. "I would have come to express my condolences at your loss much earlier, but there were matters in Africa that required my attention," Yō answered. "Besides, given the revelations of last week . . . "

"Hai," Ryō breathed out. "What we saw ten years ago . . . "

"Hai."

Ryō then waved the couple over. Yō and Emu nodded their thanks, and then they moved to lay flowers before the place where the mortal ashes of Saeba (_née_ Makimura) Kaori were interred. The Shinjuku-based retired sweeper remained silent as the deadly assassin known far and wide as "Crying Freeman" and his wife offered their own prayers to Ryō's departed wife. After a minute, both then stood. "We heard you practically retired after Kaori-san died, Ryō," Yō stated as they turned to leave the mausoleum. "It's a pity. Given how undisciplined the newer generations of sweepers and other underground mercenaries are, losing you – not to mention Umibōzu . . . "

"Umi-chan's practically blind these days," Ryō stated as they walked out of the building. "After losing Miki-chan two years ago, all he has left is the Cat's Eye."

Yō sighed. "Why is it stubborn old fools like us live while all the young dragons and tigers all die?" he wondered as they paused before the stairs leading down to the main driveway connecting the mausoleum to the outside world.

Ryō was quick to notice the limousine there with the rather LARGE woman standing guard beside it, dressed in classical yet quite practical robes for her considerable girth. "Bái-chan!" the sweeper said as the woman's eyes perked with delight on seeing him. "Long time no see!" he said as she walked up, and then he gasped as she threw her rather meaty arms around him, nearly crushing him with her hug. "Hey!"

"Oh, Ryō-chan! It's horrible!" Bái Yáshàn – which wasn't her real name, but it didn't matter to either her, her leader, his wife or the other members of the Society of the 108 Dragons – moaned. "Are you alright? Losing Kaori-san like that . . .!"

"I'm surviving," Ryō said as Yáshàn let him go. Quickly sensing Yō giving him a very curious look, the retired sweeper took a deep breath. "There was something weird about what happened after Kaori died. I'm having Saeko-chan look into it."

The visitors from Hong Kong – Ryō had heard that the command ship of the Bǎibālóng-huì, the _Jīnh__ǎ__ilóng_, had sailed into Tōkyō Bay the previous evening – all blinked as they gazed on the other man. "What happened?" Yō then asked.

"Kaori's heart was stolen."

Silence.

"Kaori-san's _heart_?" Emu gasped, her brown eyes widening in horror as Yáshàn's own hand flew up to cover her mouth, her own dark eyes going wide.

"Hai," Ryō breathed out. "She signed the donor card for her driver's license, so when her body was brought to Shinjuku General, her heart was harvested." As the others nodded – despite her temper and her propensity of using ki mallets to make her working partner behave, Kaori had been someone who always cared for the less fortunate – the retired sweeper then added, "Two hours later, the heart was stolen."

"I see . . . "

Ryō gazed on Yō. "You know something?"

"It might explain something we recently learned," the leader of the Bǎibālóng-huì then stated. "Have you ever heard of a young assassin code-named 'Glass Heart?'"

Ryō nodded. "The top assassin of the most powerful crime syndicate on Taiwan. They don't have your group's world-wide reach, but they are quite strong."

Yō sighed. "It turns out that Glass Heart is actually the daughter of the current _dàrén_ of the Zhèngdào-huì, Lǐ Jiānqiáng." He then stared at Ryō. "You saved his brother, Lǐ Qiāndé, once. About twenty-two years ago in Nicaragua?"

Ryō nodded. "Hai. Did Qiāndé's brother know about his daughter?"

"No. The people of the Zhūquè Unit, who kidnapped and transformed Xiāngyíng – that's Glass Heart's real name – into their top assassin knew that if their leader got wind of what happened to his own daughter, they would be shut down in an instant," the leader of the Bǎibālóng-huì stated. "According to one of my people inside that group, Master Lǐ learned the truth a year ago." A sigh. "About the same time Xiāngyíng – who was only about fourteen at the time – finally broke under the pressure . . . "

"And flung herself off a skyscraper in Shinjuku, falling onto the spikes of an iron fence at ground level nearly a hundred metres down," Yáshàn finished for her leader and adopted kinsman. "It was a miracle they were able to save her."

Silence fell as the retired sweeper considered that, and then he sighed. "I think it could be something Kaori would have wanted," he said. "I learned a lot from Qiāndé. He was always willing to risk a lot for his brother. I'm sure he would do the same thing for his niece if he ever found out about her." He then gazed on Yō. "So where is this little tomboy anyway? Is she still recuperating in Taiwan?"

"No. Three days ago, one of the bases the Zhèngdào-huì possessed in the mountains of Táidōng County near Gāoxióng was levelled to its foundations by unknown internal explosions," Yō reported. "Said location had one of the best emergency surgeries that existed anywhere in eastern Asia. Logically, it has to be . . . "

"Glass Heart."

"Hai."

Silence fell as Ryō considered that, and then he sighed. "She's coming here."

"Most likely," Yō mused. "If we assume Kaori-san's spirit possesses her."

"Or at least is influencing her," Emu added.

The sweeper nodded, and then he perked as a cell phone rang. "Excuse me, please," Yáshàn said as she reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out an Apple iPhone 4. Tapping controls, she called into it in Cantonese, "«Yes?»"

Ryō relaxed as he listened to the giant fighter speak; he was familiar with both major dialects of Chinese, so he could understand Yáshàn's part of the conversation. "«I see. Is this confirmed?»" she then asked before listening to the other end answer, and then she nodded. "«Thank you for reporting that. I'll inform Freeman of that at once. If there are further developments, call me immediately. Good-bye.»"

"What is it?" Emu asked after Yáshàn hung up.

The giantess looked at Yō. "Aniki, Master Lǐ of the Zhèngdào-huì has come to Japan," she stated. "He's rented a whole floor at the Keiō Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku."

"A father seeking out his missing daughter," the leader of the Bǎibālóng-huì mused. "I think the founders of our group were wise to ensure succession won't be dynastic." As Yō and Emu shared a look, Ryō was quick to see the brief flash of pain in their eyes reflective of the decision forced on them by centuries of tradition which saw them both rendered sterile before they were allowed to become the co-leaders of the Society of the 108 Dragons. A moment later, Yō then sighed. "Well, since we have no need to impose on our friends across the Taiwan Straits, let's go to Tomobiki." He then smiled as he gazed on Ryō. "Would you care to join us, Ryō?"

"But of course, Yō," the retired sweeper said. "I want to see for myself how beautiful Negako-chan really is. Ataru-chan DID make that promise!"

Hearing that, the visitors from Hong Kong all laughed . . .

* * *

Hong Kong, the site of Káidāk International Airport . . .

"You've been briefed on everything?"

"Yes, I have," Commander Lǐ Ài stated as she and her current commanding officer, Captain Liú Xīyuán, stood on the cracked tarmac that once served as the only landing and take-off runway for one of the most hazardous airports in the world. Most of the infamous Runway 13/31 was still intact; the part of the 3,390 metre strip closest to the Checkerboard Hill which served as a visual navigation aide for pilots landing their airliners at Káidāk to make the radical forty-seven degree right before lining up on Runway 13/31 was gone, replaced by new housing development. And while the government of the People's Republic of China would gladly seize the old airport lands to serve as their ground base for their first-ever _starship_, both Ài and Xīyuán believed that the young geniuses who had built something as beautiful as the _Zhèng Hé_ would likely choose someplace well away from urban areas to base the ship and her accompanying air wing.

"What do you think?" the future captain of the _Zhèng Hé_ then asked as he gazed on the political commissar. "About what our new space allies are proposing?"

"Thirty planets . . .!" Ài breathed out. "If they do a direct division-by-population, we're guaranteed at least SIX of those worlds, Comrade Captain. "That would do SO much for the Middle Kingdom . . . " She then smiled, which made Xīyuán blink as he once again realised how pretty the younger woman was. "But for all of Earth as well. We're not the only country on the planet that has a massive population problem. Our neighbours across the Himalayas have the same type of issues."

Xīyuán nodded, once again thanking his lucky stars that the people controlling the assignments for political officers in Běijīng had chosen Lǐ Ài as his number two. Unlike the strutting martinets of the past, Ài was an officer who _liked_ getting her hands dirty. While she hadn't served aboard a combat ship in the past – the leaders of the People's Liberation Army-Navy were still somewhat leery about allowing such things even now – she had done duty with the headquarters staff of one of the Marine Corps brigades based in Zhànjiāng. And while she was loyal to the Communist Party, Ài always encouraged her subordinates to be as free-thinking as possible within the bounds of reason. While the old guard in the Navy Political Commissariat tended to hold onto the line of thinking which served them well under Máo Zédōng decades before, Xīyuán was personally convinced that one day very soon, Lǐ Ài would have an admiral's gold epaulettes and silver stars on her shoulders, perhaps advance all the way to the highest office for her service in the capital city.

"Yes, that's true," he mused. "Would we have to fight for them?"

Ài sighed. "Possibly. But the people in the Special Committee strike me as being quite competent when it comes to dealing with alien races. Atop that, given how small the Seifukusu garrisons are on the target planets, actually convincing them to tighten their borders by drawing them farther back from our solar system is wise."

The captain nodded. "Let's pray the leaders on Dominos are as wise as you, Comrade Commander," he said as he gave her a smile, and then he perked on hearing a faint ringing noise from nearby. "Ah, there they are," he said as he turned . . .

. . . just as twin showers of light allowed two young – almost SHOCKINGLY young, the two PLA Navy officers quickly concluded – people to appear. As soon as the materialiser effect faded, the elder of the two smiled as she gave them both the classic fist-in-palm salute used during the Three Kingdoms period. "Comrade Captain Liú, Comrade Commander Lǐ," she said in literate Mandarin. "I'm Hakaru Ayami, also known as 'Jun'iku Bunjaku.'" She then waved to her companion, who politely bowed to them. "My friend and comrade, Ki Tsukihana, also known as 'Kōgetsuei.'"

Both officers blinked on seeing their magatama. "You're _dòushì_?" Ài gasped.

"Yes, we are," Ayami said with a nod, her genki demeanour not changing. "In my first life, I was Xún Yù, styled Wénruò, who served under Lord Cáo Cāo. My friend was Huáng Yuèyīng, the wife of Lord Chancellor Zhūgě Liàng who served under Lord Liú Bèi."

"I see . . . " Xīyuán breathed out. "That clearly explains how you survived being captured by the Ipraedies." As the two young tōshi blushed, he and his companion saluted them. "And on behalf of our people, may we express our sincerest gratitude for the hard work you both put into creating the _Zhèng Hé_ for the use of our service. It will not be forgotten."

"We had our reasons for doing this, Captain," Ayami stated. "But I do believe the commander of the South Sea Fleet is waiting for us to meet him. Shall we go?"

Both officers jerked, and then they laughed . . .

* * *

Tomobiki High School, morning study hall . . .

"Who wishes to see me?"

The Principal smiled. "An old friend of your grandmother's, he said," he stated before handing the reborn emperor a meishi. "His card."

Hiromi took it, and then looked. Her eyes then went wide. "Oh, my . . .!"

"He is with Negako-san in her office," the elderly school administrator stated.

A smile. "Well, can't keep such a man waiting," she noted as she handed the meishi to Tariko, who took it and looked at it. "Lead on, good sir."

The Principal chuckled as he waved Hiromi with her. As the two people walked out of Class 1-4, Mendō leaned over to gaze on the meishi in Tariko's hand. His eyes then went wide. "HIM?" he gasped, making everyone in the class jolt. "Why would . . .?"

"Who is it, Shūtarō-san?" Shinobu demanded.

"Ichijima Yōsuke," Tariko stated.

Silence.

"Oh, my heavens . . . is this NORMAL for the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku?"

People gazed on Mendō Tachiko. "What do you mean?" Megane asked.

A sigh. "Satoshi-san, Ichijima-san was – in his prime – the leader of the Sugamo-kai, one of the most influential Yakuza families to arise from the ashes of World War Two," Tachiko stated. "He was the 'dietmen's Yakuza,' the silent backer of many politicians who seized the reins of power after the fall of the militarists and strove to restore our country, making it what it became in the 1970s and 1980s." A sigh. "He disbanded his group in the early 1970s when younger organisations such as the Kōbe Sannō-kai and the Kantō Sagara-kai began to expand and become as powerful as they are these days. Thus, in the eyes of younger Yakuza, he's seen as an elder statesman figure, someone they can turn to whenever trouble starts to brew."

"So why would this old gangster want with Hiromi-chan?" Perm asked.

"He's an old friend of Obā-chan's."

Silence.

"What . . .?" Mendō gasped as he gazed wide-eyed at Ataru . . .

* * *

Negako's office . . .

"My Heavens . . . there IS a little bit of Nagaiwakai-sama in you . . . "

The pair of aged eyes now gazing on the reborn emperor then narrowed.

"Or is it because you're a tōshi . . .?"

Hiromi lightly smiled. "You fear my kind, Ojii-san."

Hearing that, the balding man with the flowing beard of grey hair and the dark brown eyes could only smile. "With good reason, Hiromi-chan," Ichijima Yōsuke stated as he sat back in his chair. Hiromi's newborn sisters had all gone off with Seikō Mie to spend time with the fighter pilot-turned-master sorceress. "The one force that has been active in this land since the day the Tokugawa took power . . . and no matter what ANYONE did to try to tame them, they could not be tamed. Those such as I amongst the _nin__kyō dantai_ across the country eventually realised it was simply better to give up and leave those attending the Seven Battle Schools and their affiliate schools alone. It was healthier in the long term." He smirked. "Who were you back then?"

"Liú Hóng, the Xiàolíng Emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty," Hiromi answered. "You would know me as 'Reitei.' I prefer 'Ryūkō Kyōrei' as my battle name."

Silence.

"My Heavens . . . the one tōshi ALL would follow without hesitation."

Her cheeks reddened as the hidden compliment he had just paid her struck home. "Ojii-san, you bestow on me powers I do not possess!" she protested.

The elderly gangster shook his head. "No, Hiromi-chan, you don't understand." He gave her a knowing look. "That you've chosen your posthumous name as part of your battle name shows that you have evolved quite a bit from what Reitei-sama was in his first life in Rakuyō. That is a good sign. It gives me hope that you might be able to succeed where so many others like you have failed when it comes to pulling all touched by the magatama of the Sangoku away from the dark 'fate' that faces you all."

Hiromi sighed. "I have already met one tōshi. He's currently convalescing in a hospital in Chōshi." She closed her eyes. "One of my classmates lost her home because friends of his fought other tōshi from Yōshū on the beach where she lived; she and her father are forced to reside here at Tomobiki High School because of that." She closed her eyes. "They feel themselves locked into their fates the instant they don the magatama bearing the souls of their past-selves. And I am only one person in the end . . . "

"True, but don't be afraid," Yōsuke then cautioned. "As I said before, all tōshi – when they learn that the emperor that had lived at the time the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' began with the rebellion of the Yellow Turbans – would gladly flock to your flag the instant you raise it. Even the dangerous ones such as Tōtaku and Sōsō; the current incarnation of the former is a sophomore at Rakuyō named Tadasu Suguta. The latter is a sophomore at Kyoshō named Tsukasa Torusuke." He blinked as Negako handed him a cup of herbal tea. "Dōmo, Negako-sama." After taking a sip of the tea, he then relaxed. "We Yakuza watch over the tōshi even if we do our best to avoid direct confrontations with them, so we know their real names." He smiled. "You prefer your real name, don't you?"

"Of course I do," Hiromi stated. "This whole 'fate' business is a waste of time in the long term. Those events happened eighteen centuries ago in a different country. The situation here in Japan doesn't come anywhere close to the time of the Hàn when I lived my first life. To actually go out and re-enact those events . . . "

"What makes you think others wouldn't think like you?"

The reborn emperor blinked. "But if they did, Ojii-san . . . "

"Peer pressure," Yōsuke explained. "It's one of the sad after-effects of our people's drive for conformity that arose from the Warring States period and the union of the nation under the Tokugawa." A sigh. "Even those organisations such as the one I founded after I was let out of Sugamo Prison seek to maintain some sort of conformity . . . " A chuckle. "Even if we break every law that's out there in the end."

Hiromi chuckled. "The _ninkyō dantai_ do things that normal organisations cannot. Even if the majority of people would frown on those such as yourself, Ojii-san, there are those whose lives are better enriched by their association with the Yakuza." She shook her head. "You need not fear the restoral of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku, Ojii-san. If that is the reason you came here to see me, of course. I would consider it a favour if you would relay that to the various chairpersons and presidents you represent."

"I will do so," the elderly Yakuza stated. "But that's not the only reason I came here today, Hiromi-chan." He sighed. "The other reason is the Avalonians."

Silence.

"I am not their leader, Ojii-san," Hiromi stated.

"True, you are not. Negako-sama explained the situation that provoked their migrating en masse to Earth," Yōsuke stated as he gazed on the ninjutsu grandmaster for a moment. "But public perception is something that often flies into the face of cold logic. In the eyes of many groups in this nation, it was the Moroboshi siblings – yourself, Ataru-kun, Tariko-chan and Negako-sama – that brought the _Hoshi no Tenshi_ here to our poor world. And while their presence here will be of great benefit to the nation – and all of Earth – as a whole, their presence here is also disruptive."

"They mean no harm, sir."

"No, they don't. Given what the vast majority of them went through at the hands of their former 'masters,' that they are showing such kindness to us speaks highly of them as people," he stated. "But they didn't come without bringing enormous gifts to our world to allow us to break free from the shell our current level of technology forces on us and embrace the stars beyond. I am also aware of what the Men in Black are preparing to do with the . . . Seifukusu, they're called?" At Hiromi's nod, Yōsuke smirked. "Thirty planets. And given your proposal about dividing those worlds in proportion of population, we will at least get the majority of one such planet." A chuckle. "We'll be like the Americans were during their massive drive to embrace the 'manifest destiny' they envisioned for themselves in the nineteenth century. I wonder what such a path will lead us."

"You disapprove?"

A laugh. "Of course not!" He then sobered. "You have to be totally blind or selfish to not see what sort of danger our people are facing in the near future. A growing worldwide population that Earth's natural resources can't sustain for long. Countries such as China and India, whose citizens practice a form of selective abortion that is badly tipping the demographics of those nations in a direction they shouldn't go. Global warming and all the other major climate catastrophes that the doom-sayers predict we'll face in the near future. Add to that the growing agitation of many nations now that the Cold War is truly over and the hegemony of the superpowers has been effectively removed from people's heads. And growing religious fanaticism – not just among the followers of the Prophet Muḥammad, of course – as the advance of science and technology begins to call into question everything faith once answered.

"And into the midst of all this come the Avalonians."

Hiromi sighed. "They deserve freedom and peace."

Yōsuke nodded. "And they will have it. Because they're being so open to us as well – regardless of which country they live in – we will have it as well. Even the most conservative politicians and religious leaders see the benefits of what the Avalonians are bringing to us." He sipped his tea. "And because of that, people will look to the ones they perceive as the people who had brought such prosperity unto us all – you and your siblings – as the unofficial leaders of the new revolution in politics, in economics, in social thought and cultural advancement that the combining of our races will eventually unleash." He gave her a sympathetic look. "You need to be prepared for that, Hiromi-chan. Remember what Umezu-taisa greeted you as?"

Silence fell as the reborn emperor considered that, and then she took a deep breath. "I dare say His Imperial Majesty will be most displeased about this," she exhaled. "The Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku are supposed to operate from the shadows . . . "

"I personally don't think the Son of Heaven will mind this development," the retired gangster stated. "The operations of your group, I believe, will not be affected by you also assuming the post of the Director of the United Nations Earth Defence Force. But you will need advisors. People who are specifically knowledgeable in certain matters that could give you the right information to act upon should you be forced to act."

"Are you volunteering yourself?"

Yōsuke perked, and then he chuckled. "I'm flattered by that!" he said.

As both of them laughed, the retired gangster sipped his tea. "But there is someone else I believe will suit your purposes much better. Two such people." He then gazed on Negako. "Both of them survived the genocide in Rwanda back in 1994; their parents were minor officials at the Japanese consulate in Kigali at the time. They – along with a small group of local boys, plus two other Asian children their age – managed to escape, fleeing to the Tanzanian border to escape the Hutu mobs seeking to finally topple the Tutsi who had controlled that country for so long." A sigh. "And the 'foreign devils' that supported that government up to that point."

Hiromi's eyes widened. "Oh, my . . . "

"When they returned to Japan, they found a country that was too much at peace with itself," Yōsuke added. "Yes, we had the Ōmu Shinrikyō attacks on the citizens of this land . . . especially the Sarin gas attacks that struck Tōkyō the same year those two lads came back to Japan. But we as a people have not faced anything as bloody and as destructive as what those two boys faced in Rwanda ever since the Greater East Asia War ended. And when they realised that, both these lads came to believe . . . "

"Japan was a dying – if not already dead – society."

A nod. "Exactly."

Hiromi hummed. "So they seek to reform things?"

"Hai," he said, nodding again. "When they came to the end of their middle school years just after the turn of the millennium, they made a decision. One would take the high road and make reforms in the political realm. One would take the low road and seek to make reforms in the realm of the underworld. Thus, in the end, they would create a virtual 'sanctuary' for them and all those like them. One where people can advance within reason to whatever goal they wish to achieve. Not stopped by neither tradition, seniority, gender nor any of the other various types of 'glass ceilings' that get into people's way." Yōsuke smirked. "In a way, both of these boys remind me of a pair of young tigers who found their homeland ripped apart by a world war."

Hiromi smirked. "Yourself and Isaoka Norimoto-ojiisan, now the Secretary-General of the Liberal Democratic Party." As her guest perked, she smiled. "Onē-sama told me about how much Obā-san supported you two from the shadows as you helped put this country back on its feet again after the militarists nearly destroyed it all."

A nod. "Hai. And while I personally am glad there is a young tiger out there ready to make lives better for other Yakuza, I fear Norimoto-kun . . . "

"Cares not for the tiger now moving to make waves in _his_ playpen."

"Hai."

The reborn emperor sighed. "I will have to meet these two young worthies," she mused. "May I have the honour of their names at least?"

"Asami Chiaki, currently a prospective candidate for the position of member of the House of Representatives for the Fourth District of Tōkyō," Yōsuke stated. "And Hōjō Akira, the current leader of the Kantō Sagara-kai, now resident in Roppongi."

"I would assume Chiaki and Akira would prefer to keep their friendship with each other a secret from the general public," Negako then noted. "Especially Norimoto?"

Yōsuke nodded. "Hai."

"That's easily done," Hiromi noted . . .

* * *

Chiba Prefecture, Minamibōsō, near Nojimazaki Lighthouse . . .

"'_**T**__**Ō**__**SHI?**_'"

The handsome young man seated in the limousine now travelling down National Road 410 towards a secluded section of beach to the west of the lighthouse marking the southern-most point of the Bōsō Peninsula smiled on noting the shocked look on the face of his former "elder brother" in the Hokushō-kai nearly a decade before. "You must think I'm crazy, Tokai-san," Hōjō Akira stated as he gazed fondly at the older man.

Tokai Takaya blinked on hearing that calm statement from his former subordinate and now overall gang boss, which he had gladly supported when Akira had eliminated his predecessor months before. Reaching up to pull off his sunglasses, he then rubbed his eyes. "I'm seriously too old for this sort of shit, Boss!" he said as he shook his head. "Hell, I thought like you once when I was a young puppy starting out in the business. I could take any stupid tōshi on." A smirk as he pulled out a packet of cigarettes and put one into his mouth. "Learned that the _hard_ way!"

"I don't intend to coerce them into supporting us, Tokai-san."

The older man blinked, and then he relaxed himself as he moved to light up his cigarette. Much that he thought he understood a man like Hōjō Akira, there were times the younger Yakuza could still shock the hell out of him. Then again, given that Akira pretty much had ice water in his veins – as witness the one time in Roppongi when the newly-crowned boss of the Sagara-kai had gladly wrapped his white jacket around the severed head of a dead motorcycle rider after he had been run over by a delivery truck – that he was willing to risk something like **this** was somewhat par for the course. "So what do you intend to do with them, oh wise Boss of mine?" he then asked.

Akira smirked on hearing the slightly sarcastic whine in his former group leader's voice. That was to be expected, of course. Tokai Takaya was a Yakuza gunman of the old school; if you couldn't coerce it, you destroyed it, usually quite violently. But unlike many of his peers and contemporaries across the nation, Tokai was also an incredibly loyal man. Once you won that sort of loyalty – as Akira had done by showing his former boss the many benefits of the new way of doing things – it was ironclad. "Before I answer that question, let me ask you something, Tokai-san," he stated. "Did you get the chance to meet any of the Avalonians who've moved into Roppongi?"

Tokai blinked. "The space babes? Sure have," he said as he took a deep draw on the tobacco fumes. "Haven't had the chance to get one of them into bed. Some of them are fuckin' supermodels, but . . . " An embarrassed smirk then crossed his face. "Oh, fuck!" he then spat out. "I couldn't do that to them, Boss. You ever see into their eyes?" As Akira nodded, the older gangster sighed. "They're just like you."

"Me?"

"Hai," Tokai said with a nod. "The same sort of real pain deep in their eyes. The type of pain that I doubt even I could ever think about. Not even losin' my wife hurt as much as whatever hurt they went through back in their own solar system. I can't start imagining what sort of shit their so-called 'masters' did to them before this Ganzo guy, the Moroboshi sisters and their brother broke them outta that place, but it must've been pretty bad." He took another draw on his cigarette. "Some of them have been around the escort lounges and all the other places we run. The girls that work there – according to the bartenders I've talked too – say they're some of the sweetest dates you'd ever want to go on."

"So the Moroboshi siblings did the right thing, did they?"

"Fuckin' right they did!" A pause, then, "Boss . . .?"

"I'm not going to challenge the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku, Tokai-san," Akira said, shaking his head. "I may be crazy in some people's eyes, but I'm not suicidal."

Tokai chuckled. "Thank the gods for that!"

Akira smiled. "But did you notice that Hiromi-chan herself is a tōshi?"

Silence.

"Fuck . . .!" Tokai breathed out. "And she's supposedly in charge of all those starships that're up in orbit over the planet right now?"

The boss of the Sagara Alliance blinked. "How'd you find out about the Earth Defence Force?" Akira asked.

"Tashiro showed me the pics the observatories made of those ships," the older man answered. "Fuckin' as big as the one the Oni brought here last summer . . . and we got FIFTY of the damned things? And the space docks to build MORE of them?" He then blinked before laughing. "Oh, I get it now!" he breathed out before taking another draw of his cigarette. "This is some sort of business deal, right?"

"Not really a business deal," the young don of the Sagara-kai answered. "More of an informal business alliance, one that could be of massive benefit to anyone who joins into it." He smirked. "You saw what was in Tōkyō Bay early this morning, didn't you?"

"The ship of the 108 Dragons," Tokai answered before he gazed knowingly at his superior. "Boss, if you think we can take on someone like _Freeman_ . . . "

A shake of the head. "No, I don't intend to fight Yō-san either, Tokai-san."

More silence.

"You KNOW him?" Tokai blurted out.

Akira smiled as he reached into his jacket to pull out a picture, turning to show it to the other man. "Taken just before I joined you," he said as Tokai took the picture and looked at it. "See the man on the far right of the group?"

Tokai looked, and then he gaped. "Holy fuck! That's . . .!"

"Hinomura Yō, also known as Lóng Tàiyáng or 'Crying Freeman,'" the boss of the Sagara-kai stated. "We were classmates in middle school." A smile crossed his face. "As much of an artist back then as he later became before the 108 Dragons recruited him into their group. And as great of a human being as I've ever met in my lifetime."

The picture was handed back. "He went through the same type of shit that you did," Tokai noted before finishing off his cigarette. "You thinking of making an alliance with the guy? Havin' the Dragons on our backsides . . . "

"Not in the way you might imagine, Tokai-san . . . ah! We're here!"

The limousine then pulled off the road over a cliff looming over a small stretch of beach. As the driver – Akira's former number two in the Hokushō-kai, Tashiro Reiji – parked the car, then got out to allow his boss and his former boss out, footfalls then heralded the arrival of a tall, well-shaped woman covered from neck to toe in black-and-gold racing leathers with the battle flag of the Confederate States of America on her shoulders. Said flag, the visiting Yakuza noted, was emblazoned with the kanji 甲子 in gold thread the red fields of the flag, either read horizontally to the left and right of the centre of the Southern Cross, or vertically above or below said cross. She had sunflower blonde hair close-cropped around her head – no doubt to allow her helmet to fit better over her when she was riding her modified Kawasaki Ninja ZX-6R sports bike – and deep brown eyes on a face that was classically Oriental, though Akira was quick to note the hair was quite natural and not a dye job. And – befitting an A-rank tōshi that once attended the Yoshū Academy in Utsunomiya three years before – a silver magatama hung from the lower lobe of her left ear.

"Chōkaku-sama," the leader of the Sagara-kai then said, bowing politely.

The woman gazed intently at them for a moment, and then she relaxed, a knowing look crossing her face. "You honour us with your presence, noble Black Dragon that arose in the Land of the Hutu sixteen years past," she stated with the same level of gravity one might expect from a senior cleric. Which, in this woman's first life eighteen centuries before, she had been. "What brings you to our encampment this day?"

"I humbly bring tidings from the world beyond that of the noble warriors of the Three Kingdoms of old, Oh Lady General of the Heavens," Akira said, matching his own tone to hers. "And of a lost soul reborn to this life who has brought all living on Earth great gifts that will benefit us for generations to come . . . yet is alone."

The woman born twenty-two years before as Hari Sumiko blinked before she gazed intently into the visiting Yakuza godfather's eyes. "Whom do you speak of?"

"Moroboshi Hiromi," Akira answered. "Or as history calls her past-self . . . "

A smile crossed his face.

"Liú Hóng, the Xiàolíng Emperor of Hàn."

Sumiko's eyes went wide . . .

* * *

Minutes later . . .

"_**YOU LIE!**_"

"Why should he lie, Hironaru?"

The quivering man who had surged to his feet on hearing Akira's announcement to the gathered members of the Kōshi Kasshi – as the reborn Yellow Turban rebels all called themselves as a group – blinked on hearing his older sister's calm voice, and then he sighed. "Onē-san, Reitei-sama has NEVER resurrected himself in all the eighteen centuries that separate our current lives from our first ones!" Haru Hironaru – known to all his friends as "Chōmansei" – stated as he turned to stare wide-eyed at Sumiko. "Why would Reitei-sama come back NOW? What's the significance of it?"

"I could propose an explanation to that end."

Hironaru snarled as he turned to glare at the visiting Yakuza godfather. "What in the Dào's name would YOU know . . .?" he snapped, pointing at Akira.

"_**ENOUGH!**_"

He froze on hearing his elder sister's shout, and then he sighed. "I apologise for my outburst," he said before sitting beside his twin sister Harimi (Chōryō).

"Good," Sumiko stated before she gazed fondly at Akira. "Even if we normally do not ride for even a small time with the Yakuza, we know this one is cut from a much different cloth than those who preceded him as the supreme overlord of the Kantō underworld."

"You bestow on me powers that I feel I do not possess, Sumiko-sama," Akira said with a respectful bow of his head. "Yes, I have designs for the Yakuza of this land as a way of creating the sanctuary that my friend and I first envisioned when we were escaping Kigali for the border with Tanzania sixteen years ago, but I know I still have much of a steep climb to make that sanctuary real. My friend, even steeper."

Sumiko nodded. "You will both succeed, Akira-san," she stated, smiling in amusement as both Tokai and Tashiro gaped in horrified shock at their leader; even if it never involved either of them, the Rwandan genocide was well-known in Japan. "Do not look so surprised at this revelation, my friends. Surely you have seen the hard steel of your leader's nerves in the past. That he was tempered in the fires of the Land of the Hutu sixteen years ago, fleeing for his life after witnessing the murder of his parents by the vengeance-crazed Tutsi, is evident to all those who can simply click on the Internet these days." She reached into her jacket to pull out a picture, tossing it over.

Tokai caught it, and then looked. "Holy fuck . . .!" he breathed out before handing it over to Tashiro. "You really went through _this_, Boss?"

A nod. "Hai. It still strikes me as a miracle that I survived."

"Um, who is . . .?"

Akira turned as a shocked intake of breath stole his old number-two's voice. "That's Asami Chiaki you're seeing there, Reiji-kun," he stated.

"The guy who wants to be the dietman for Ōta?" Tashiro demanded.

A nod. "Hai." He gave his subordinates a look. "I'd like to keep it secret. Especially from those who would stop Chiaki from getting his post in the Diet."

"Shit, you're both doin' the same damned thing!"

Akira smirked as he gazed at Tokai. "Hai."

The older Yakuza blinked, and then he laughed. "Damn, Boss! You . . .!" He then reached over to embrace his leader, delivering a sloppy kiss onto Akira's cheek while everyone around them all laughed. "Damn! Next thing you know, you'll want us all to go legit! Even probably run for the Diet yourself, knowing you!"

"Hmmm . . . that sounds like an excellent idea, Tokai-san."

Tokai jolted, and then he howled with laughter, as did most of the bikers now seated around them. "I believe you'll succeed in that as well, Akira-san," Sumiko then said as she politely covered her mouth to hide her own grin; even if she was the leader of a borderline-outlaw group of bōsōzoku these days, she had been raised in an upper middle-class home and had the manners to show for it. "Though I suggest you keep a firm leash on Takaya-san here," she then advised as she indicated Tokai. "He was born in the Year of the Boar and it shows in everything he does."

"_**HEY!**_" Tokai yelped as Akira and Tashiro both laughed.

"So what _is_ your theory about Reitei-sama's return, Master Akira?"

That was the second of the Hari sisters that led the Kōshi Kasshi, Takara. Also known as "Chōhō" and seen as the strategic planner of the group, she had the same hair colour and eye colour as her siblings, though her hair was done in a long ponytail in lieu of the close-cropped style Sumiko possessed, the wrapped braids Harimi had or the military buzzcut worn by Hironaru. "My theory, Takara-sama, is quite simple," Akira then stated. "I am launching my current plans to reform the Yakuza of Japan for the simple reason that many of us – especially those of my own generation at the bottom of the leadership ladder in the various organisations – are getting tired of the 'old' way of doing business. Yes, we are Yakuza and we're more than prepared to deal with potential enemies with the same level of violence that our predecessors used in the past. But in my eyes, the old way of doing business ultimately leads to stagnation. I hope that what I will bring forth will allow people like Tokai-san and Tashiro-san with me – and all others like us – to not be laughed at and ridiculed by those who are not of us. But – as I told Tashiro-san once – held with respect since we are very much a business at heart. And a business we will stay.

"You tōshi, I believe, are reaching the same point in your evolution," he said as he gazed firmly at Sumiko. "Weighed down by the spectres of the past – though I won't begin to try to truly understand what forces actually drive all of you – and made to believe the only fate you can experience is what your past-selves experienced eighteen centuries ago. Am I right?" As the people around him nodded, he sighed. "Then came your turn to replay the events of the great rebellion your past-selves launched against the government of your old homeland eighteen centuries ago. Now, if things went the way the history books wrote of what happened to the Yellow Turbans, the Kōshi Kasshi should have been stopped."

He smiled. "But you **_won_** the battle, Sumiko-sama. The Spirits that guided your past-selves did not abandon you as they did in the past. They allowed you to make a clean break-away from the Seven Schools and form a motorcycle club that eventually gained a hard-won reputation of being the 'living Robin Hoods' of Japan!" Akira then smirked. "Even more so, whenever tōshi who still firmly believe in the Fate of the Sacred Beads – whenever they run into trouble they can't deal with themselves – always know they can turn to any of YOU if they have to." Akira then shrugged. "WHY did it happen? Why did you finally succeed in renouncing the Fate of the Sacred Beads THIS time?"

"Reitei-sama . . . "

That was a shaggy-haired redhead with hazel eyes appearing to be Sumiko's age, one Akira recognised as Mago Minaka, also known as "Sonchū," the leader of the Chibi-based Team Eleven of the Kōshi Kasshi. "Yes," Akira stated. "If the Spirits of the Dào – and I mean no disrespect by saying this – didn't want you to succeed in this incarnation, then why did they allow Moroboshi Ataru to find the magatama bearing Reitei-sama's soul ten years ago, shortly after the living spirit of Imperial Special Agent 49 was placed into his head?" He ignored the slight chill the people around him felt on mentioning THAT person. "Did you not fight in your first lives to bring peace and the wisdom of the Dào amongst your countrymen?"

"We did . . . "

People gazed on the leader of the Kōshi Kasshi as she stood up, turning to gaze away from the fire that was burning in the middle of the open-ended tent they had set up on the beach to gaze into the vast Pacific. "Sumiko-sama . . . " Akira whispered.

A tired smile crossed the tōshi biker's face. "It is not written within the text of the novel Master Luó wrote all those years ago, Master Akira," Sumiko stated. "But one of the goals of my group in our first lives was to show the Son of the Heavens the True Way. To allow him to be cleansed of the corruption and madness haunting his noble court and let him see what that corruption and madness had unleashed to all those the Mandate of Heaven demanded he protect." A sigh. "And now – if you speak the truth about Moroboshi Hiromi in saying she is the Xiàolíng Emperor reborn in this life, Master Akira – that she is alone in the Gathering Place of Friends worries me."

"How so?" Akira asked.

A chuckle. "Over the reincarnations and the generations from the days of the Hàn to now, our thoughts towards the Xiàolíng Emperor changed and evolved. From the ignorant and selfish fool he has been shown in history books to have been back in those days . . . to the last living symbol of when all of us touched by the souls of the past lived under one tent like the one over our heads now." As the Yakuza looked up at the surplus Self-Defence Forces tent that the Kōshi Kasshi had erected here, Sumiko smirked. "And our love for him – for different reasons – grew. To the Ten Attendants who – in this life – brought all the schools together to fight down our rebellion and return us to the fold, the Emperor was the young and ignorant child they failed to serve, yet would unite all were he reborn. To us, the symbol that all of us can embrace the True Way of the Dào and put the bloody past where it belongs. To the Emperor's own kinsmen in this life, the symbol that could unite them together as one family. To the others . . . "

"The sign of peace," Akira finished. "The final end of the Romance."

"Yes."

Sumiko then hummed as she turned to gaze out onto the waters of the Sagami Sea to the west of the Bōsō Peninsula. Anchored away from the main shipping channels leading in and out of Tōkyō Bay was a lovely white ship shaped like the famous Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Company ocean liner S.S. _Canberra_ that had operated on runs between the United Kingdom and Australia between 1961 and 1997. She was quick to notice the one difference, though: The stylised dragon's head affixed to the clipper bow of this ship, which she knew was named the _Jīnh__ǎilóng_, the Golden Sea Dragon. As her eyes narrowed, she reached out with her senses to touch the souls born within the home ship of the leaders of the Society of the 108 Dragons, and then she chuckled before she turned to gaze upon the Yakuza godfather visiting her today. "Master Akira, you were friends with the Dragon born of the Sun, were you not?"

Akira perked, and then he walked over to stand beside her, turning to gaze out on the Sagami Sea and the _Jīnh__ǎilóng_ anchored there. "Yes. Long before the 108 Dragons turned a wonderful artist named Hinomura Yō into a being like Crying Freeman," he stated. "I wonder what he's doing here. Unless it has something to do with the leader of the Zhèngdào-huì coming here; he's in Shinjuku right now."

"Do you fear a battle with him?"

A shake of the head. "No. Even if I know I could be killed by Yō-san if he decided I had to die, I know deep down he's still the wonderful artist he was when we went to classes in middle school together. After all, doesn't he shed tears every time he takes a life, no matter what the person he kills is like?" He then hummed. "Tashiro-kun?"

Tashiro perked. "Hai?"

"Call Murata-san and find out if he knows anything about Freeman being here."

"Hai!"

Bowing politely to the leader of the Kōshi Kasshi, he then walked out of the tent, drawing out his cell phone along the way. Sumiko watched him go, and then she chuckled as she gazed out onto the ocean. "You did yourself good in helping him when he first came to you, Master Akira," the tōshi biker leader said. "He will live and die for you. And the dream you have, not just for you and Master Chiaki, but for all."

"I'd rather keep THAT relationship a secret," Akira noted.

"We will be silent, but your friend may need help in dealing with those who would stop him," Sumiko stated, and then she looked up. "Stars . . . "

"Eh?"

"The stars in the sky."

He looked up, and then he smirked on seeing the several stars in the bright noon sky overhead. "One of them is named _Yamato_."

"The Great Peace," Sumiko stated. "Another takes her name from the pen-name of the man who so wanted to keep the Land of the Morning Calm free of both the grasp of unworthy people in the Middle Kingdom and the Land of the Rising Sun. A third was named after the great explorer of the Yǒnglè Emperor of Míng who sailed around the world. The fourth, named after the last state to be formed in the continental United States. And the fifth, named after the Dark Herald of the Gods who make the skies storm and the winds blow with but the beat of Its Wings. A powerful mixture . . . "

"Hōjō-sama!"

Both turned as Tashiro ran up. "What is it?" Akira asked.

"Murata just got the word from our offices in Roppongi!" the younger Yakuza said. "Freeman-sama and his wife went to the Aoyama Cemetery earlier today, accompanied by the Lady Bái Yáshàn. There, they met _**Saeba Ry**__**ō**_!" As the leader of the Sagara-kai blinked, Tashiro added, "And now, they're going to _Tomobiki_!"

"Then we ride for Tomobiki."

Akira gazed on the leader of the Kōshi Kasshi, and then he nodded. "Hai."

Sumiko smiled, and then she gazed on her friends. "Let the tents be struck!"

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) As I stated in previous chapter notes, one of my favourite manga artists is **Ikegami Ryōichi**, whose realistic portrayal of people in his many series is truly above even that shown by some of the better North American comic artists such as John Byrne of _X-Men_ and _Superman_ fame, not to mention George Perez of _Teen Titans_ and _Wonder Woman_ fame. Two of his more popular works whose characters I'm bringing into this story are _Crying Freeman_ (written in 1986-88 by Koike Kazuo) and _Sanctuary_ (written in 1990-95 by Fumimura Shō A.K.A. Buronson, the man who also wrote _Hokuto no Ken_ ["Fist of the North Star"]). Another series that Ikegami-sensei helped create will also make an appearance here in this story, but I can't say when.

2) As fans of _Angel Heart_ will know, **Saeba Ryō** A.K.A. Cityhunter (who appeared in the manga series of the same name written by Hōjō Tsukasa between 1985-91) retired after his wife Kaori was killed saving a young boy from being run over by a delivery truck. The time period of this story will correspond with the second episode of the _Angel Heart_ anime series, "Kaori Has Returned." To better bring together the background stories of both _Cityhunter_ and _Angel Heart_, I made mention of the fate of Umibōzu's partner in running the Cat's Eye café, Miki (who is not mentioned in _Angel Heart_).

3) Chinese translations: **Bǎibālóng-huì** – Society of the 108 Dragons; **Bái Yáshàn** – White Ivory Fan; **Jīnhǎilóng** – Gold Dragon of the Sea; **Dàrén** – title once bestowed on a noble in old China (it would be the equivalent of "Your Excellency" in English); **Zhèngdào-huì** – Society of the Positive Way; **Zhūquè** – Vermillion Sparrow (one of the Four Symbols [_Sìxiàng_] of the constellations in Chinese astronomy, which represents summer, fire and the south); **Dòushì** – Tōshi. Note that when they were both welcomed as the new leaders of the _Bǎibālóng-huì_, Hinomura Yō and Hino Emu were given the Chinese names "**Lóng Tàiyáng**" (Dragon of the Sun) and "**Hǔ Qīnglán**" (Tiger of Pure Orchid) respectively.

4) Roughly paralleling my use of Hànyǔ Pīnyīn to transcribe Mandarin words into Roman script, I use a modified version of the Yale Romanisation of Cantonese in this story, subbing in diacritic glyphs in lieu of using numbers following any specific syllable of a word. _Káidāk_ is the proper Romanisation for the name of Hong Kong's old international airport, **Kai Tak**, which was finally shut down and replaced in 1998 by the airport at _Cheklahpgok_ (**Chek Lap Gok**).

5) **Sugamo** was the name of a prison (as well as the surrounding village) located in the Ikebukuro district in modern-day Toshima Ward of Tōkyō that was specially constructed in the 1920s to hold political prisoners. Initially used to incarcerate communists, the prison would later be used to house dissenters who disobeyed the Peace Preservation Laws passed in the 1930s and 1940s to ensure no uprising against the growing militarist movement dominating Japan at the time would get anywhere. In the wake of World War Two, people found guilty of war crimes by the International Military Tribunal for the Far East were housed there; it was here that those condemned to die such as Tōjō Hideki were imprisoned and later executed. The prison itself was turned over to the control of the Japanese authorities in 1952 at the end of the Allied occupation of the nation, then permanently shut down in 1971, the buildings dismantled later. In the background story of _Sanctuary_, both **Ichijima Yōsuke** and **Isaoka Norimoto** were inmates at Sugamo and would begin their rise to prominence after their release from prison.

6) Japanese translations: **Sannō** – Mountain King; **Sagara** – Mutual Happiness; **Ninkyō dantai** – Chivalrous Organisation (the self-implied nickname yakuza use to describe themselves); **Hoshi no Tenshi** – Angels of the Stars; **Ōmu Shinrikyō** – A combination of the Japanese reading of the Sanskrit sacred word "om" (or "aum") and the term meaning "religion of truth"; **Hokushō** – Clear North; **Bōsōzoku** – Violent Running Tribe (the nickname for motorcycle clubs that skirt if not break the law).

7) In _Sanctuary_ (written as noted above in the early 1990s), **Hōjō Akira** and **Asami Chiaki** were said to have survived the "killing fields" of Cambodia when the Khmer Rouge took power over the nation from 1975-79. Since I set this story in 2010, I had to move the characters up to correspond to this particular era, so I reimaged the story basing them and their families in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide of the Hutu by the Tutsi.

8) **Chōkaku** (**Hari Sumiko**) and her siblings were introduced in _Phoenix From the Ashes_ Part 24. **Sonchū** (**Mago Minaka**) was also mentioned in PFTA; in this incarnation, she is a paternal cousin of **Sonsaku Hakufu** (**Mago Tsueko**). The name that went into their group, **Kōshi Kasshi**, would be written with the same kanji (甲子甲子). Both words used in the gang's name are two local ways of saying the Chinese term _jiǎzǐ_, the first year of the sexagenary (sixty-year) cycle of recording year names. The leaders of the Yellow Turbans believed that the coming of the Year of Jiǎzǐ in 184 C.E. would signal the end of the Hàn Dynasty and the rise of a new era.


	22. The Riders of Eternal Peace

Tomobiki High School, first afternoon class . . .

"Proceed forth, Kwang'ung."

"Hai!" Kwak Kwang'ung, one of the several Koreans now attending Tomobiki High School, barked out as he ran towards the raised target near the end of the gymnasium by the basketball hoop. Reaching the right place to jump, the third-generation _Chōsen-seki_ – unlike other Zainichi Koreans, he and his family were not affiliated with either the _Mindan_ or the _Ch'ongny__ŏ__n_ – leapt into the air, then delivered a powerful rabbit punch into the target, knocking it back a metre. Seeing that, all his friends in Class 3-1 whooped with delight as he dropped back to the ground, and then performed a perfect back flip to bleed off the excess energy from his body and prevent his leg bones from being damaged. Rolling neatly to his feet, he paused, and then nodded.

"Well done, Kwang'ung," Negako stated. "Ilmyŏng, proceed."

"Hai!"

As Kwang'ung's best friend Ko Ilmyŏng headed for the target, Negako then perked as she sensed two very powerful ki nexi approach the gymnasium from the area of the front gate of the school. _Well, well, well_, the grandmaster mused to herself as she watched Ilmyŏng make his strike. _I wondered when they would come visit_. "Ilmyŏng, remember to roll out when you do a leaping strike," she then stated as the other Zainichi Korean in Class 3-1 dropped to the floor without rolling. "You will sustain damage to your leg bones if you land too hard on the floor. You will practice that again until you implicitly comprehend that. Proceed, Ayumi."

"Hai!" Itō Ayumi called out as she approached the target.

"I'm sorry, Negako-sama," Ilmyŏng apologised.

"Do not apologise," Negako stated as the door opened . . .

"_**YAHOO! MOKKORI!**_"

Everyone in the class screamed out as a man in a blue business jacket, slacks and a red T-shirt leapt into the air right for Negako. "MOLESTER! GET HIM!" Ayumi's best friend in the class, the girls' volleyball team captain Shinryaku Natsumi, screamed out.

As Saeba Ryō came down to glomp Negako from behind, a ki mallet welded by Minami Kaho, the representative for Class 3-1 on the student council, slammed into the side of his head, sending him flying right into a side wall. As the other visitors to the gymnasium all gaped in shock, a half-dozen other girls drew out their mallets and proceeded to give the hapless sweeper a righteous beat-down. Before they could get close, Negako sighed before bellowing out, "_**CEASE THIS AT ONCE!**_"

Silence.

"Um . . . N-n-Negako-sama . . .?" Natsuko stammered.

The grandmaster sighed. "Are you hurt, Ryō?"

A moan. "That really . . . felt familiar . . . Negako-chan . . . "

People blinked, and then Kaho blushed. "Ooopsie . . . "

Negako looked over. "What was the mistake, Kaho?"

The class _iinch__ō_ bowed repentantly to the grandmaster. "I assumed he was a molester after hearing Natsuko-chan shout out like that, then attacked," she said before gazing up at Negako. "But he said 'mokkori' when he leapt at you, Negako-sama!"

"The significance of that word?"

She blushed. "It's the sound that a man makes when he becomes erect," she said in a very quiet voice that was still loud enough for everyone to hear.

Negako hummed. "Kwang'ung?"

He perked. "H-hai?"

"When you are close to your would-be paramour Yangji and feel the physical arousal being close to such an attractive woman provokes, is there a sound?"

He blushed at that blatant question, and then bowed his head. "No . . . "

"Then where exactly does the word 'mokkori' come from?"

"It's a manga term, Negako-sama. It was originally meant to signify something growing out of the ground."

That was Natsuko's best friend in the class, Kitamura Harumi. "Excellent. So did any of you detect any other mistakes made in this encounter?" Negako stated.

"They assumed that fellow there was attacking you," Ilmyŏng stated. "He could have been a very close friend to you and greeting you in that fashion would be a sign of that friendship." He then scratched his head. "Though I can't see _how_ . . . "

"Splendid, Ilmyŏng. You are very observant," Negako stated, her words making Ilmyŏng blush. "And yes – though he is very attracted to beautiful ladies – Ryō is a friend. He is one of the two people who were witness to the last time someone took the Promise of Bunka Go-nen ten years ago when my essence was transferred into Ataru's subconscious mind." She then gazed on the handsome fellow standing close to the door. "As is the other fellow who has joined us today. You look well, Yō. I see you have finally settled down with Emu even if both of you have been rendered sterile by your predecessors in the Bǎibālóng-huì."

Hinomura Yō and his wife Emu both blushed on hearing that. "H-h-Hai, Negako-sama, that is true," the former then stammered out as he bowed low to the grandmaster.

"The Bǎibālóng-huì . . .?"

That was a wide-eyed Harumi. "You are aware of that group?" Negako asked.

"H-h-Hai!" she stammered before she stared intently at Yō for a moment, and then she gasped. "Oh, ye gods! You're _**CRYING FREEMAN**_! The greatest assassin alive!"

Silence.

"_**EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEH . . .?**_" the whole class gasped as one.

"Be calm."

People stared at Negako, and then Kwang'ung chuckled. "Um, are all your friends normally this . . . um, _unique_, Negako-sama?" he then asked.

"You have not met Happi yet," Negako stated.

"Who?" Hinomura Emu asked.

"Happōsai. He is the grandmaster of Musabetsu Kakutō-ryū, one of the sister schools to Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū, Emu," Negako stated. "In the twenty-first year of Meiji, he attempted to find a way to break me free of my then-host and give me my own life. Regretfully, those who were determined to keep me 'caged' caught him and cursed him most viciously as a result." A sigh. "I have not sensed him since I came back to Earth, though, so I fear . . . "

"Master Happōsai did disappear about ten years ago, Negako-sama," Yō announced. "I don't believe he is dead, but his then-students may have defeated him and weakened him to the point where even your own senses – once they're fully in tune with the ley lines that pass through Tomobiki – may not be able to detect him."

"Do you know who his students were, Yō?"

"I don't know their names, but it can be investigated."

"Do so."

"Hai."

A moan then made Negako look over. "You are recovered, Ryō?"

"Hai . . . " the man also known as Cityhunter said as he picked himself off the gymnasium floor. He then came up to gaze intently at the grandmaster for a moment before he grinned, and then he gazed at the leader of the Bǎibālóng-huì. "Well, Ataru-chan lived up to his promise, Yō," the retired sweeper stated. "He made use that Negako-chan here would turn out to be a very beautiful lady."

Yō smiled. "That he did, Ryō. That he did."

Hearing that, all the students around them blinked, and then they broke out in laughter. Negako smiled, and then she gazed on Bái Yáshàn. "Yáshàn, will you monitor the class for the time being?" she asked. "I believe Yō and Ryō both wish to see Ataru and get the chance to meet both Hiromi and Tariko. I will return shortly."

"Hai!" the giant warrior said with an eager nod . . .

* * *

Class 1-4, minutes later . . .

"_**RY**__**Ō**__**-**__**CHAN!**_"

Ryō laughed as Ataru leapt out of his seat and swamped the sweeper with a very friendly hug, making almost all the boys gape in shock and the girls blink in awe. "Hey, Ataru-chan!" the man called Cityhunter said as he patted the younger man's shoulder. "You did it! And you even got two more sisters out of it, too!"

"Indeed he did, Ryō-san," Hiromi said as she and Tariko came over to give Ryō hugs as well. "I must confess that it IS a pleasure to meet the legendary Cityhunter at last." She then hummed as she gave him an appraising look, and then she blinked as her empathic senses picked up on something. "Oh, dear . . . I'm truly sorry."

"What . . .?" Ataru asked before he gazed on Ryō. "Kaori-san . . .?"

"She died a year ago in an automobile accident," Ryō stated.

The Moroboshi siblings all winced as many of the people in the class bowed their heads in a show of regret. "Our deepest sympathies, Master Ryō," Hiromi then said as Tariko hugged him. "Are you still active or have you retired finally?"

"Retired for now . . . but there's something weird going on that might get me back on the streets soon enough," Ryō stated. "How much have you been briefed in on all the things your grandmother used to deal with on behalf of the Imperial Palace?"

"Regretfully not that much; I only assumed the matriarchy of my clan last Thursday," Hiromi stated. "What is the problem, Ryō-san?"

The sweeper sighed. "Kaori wrote a will that allowed her organs to be harvested if required. Her heart was taken by members of the Zhèngdào-huì shortly after her death to be transplanted into the body of the daughter of that group's leader Lǐ Jiānqiáng, Lǐ Xiāngyíng. She's also known as 'Glass Heart.'"

"'Glass Heart' . . .?"

That was Mendō Shūtarō. "Hey, you know that girl?" Ryūnosuke asked.

"Hai, Ryūnosuke-san," the scion of Japan's richest family stated as people gazed on him. "The Zhèngdào-huì is Taiwan's largest Triad, though they're not on the same scale as the Bǎibālóng-huì." He waved to Yō in emphasis. "Glass Heart is an up-and-coming assassin who was active for about two years before she disappeared a year ago. Many criminal gang leaders all over eastern Asia fell at her hands, not to mention those politicians and other leaders known to have links with organisations that threatened the Zhèngdào-huì." He then gazed on the leader of the Society of the 108 Dragons. "I assume that Xiāngyíng-san . . . "

"Tried to kill herself when it got too much for her," Yō finished. "She was only fourteen at the time she flung herself off the roof of a high-rise apartment block in Shinjuku to pierce her heart on the fence surrounding the property." As many of the people in the class winced on hearing that, he added, "But since he learned about what happened to his daughter, Master Lǐ went out of his way to see to it she would survive. It clearly was out of sheer fortune that Kaori-san's heart was compatible to her."

"Would there be a chance at organ rejection?" Shinobu then asked.

"Possibly, Shinobu," Negako stated. "Unless the human leukocyte antigen pattern that forms the basis of Xiāngyíng's immunity system was tricked into accepting the organ transplant due to a perfect match-up with Kaori's antigen pattern." She then gazed on Ryō. "I would assume there is a possibility that Xiāngyíng . . . "

"Is coming to Japan," the sweeper finished for the ninjutsu grandmaster. "Hai. She – according to Yō's people – blew up the place in Taiwan where she was recuperating. Just brought the place right down. That's not Glass Heart's style."

"But it IS reminiscent of Kaori's over-exuberance when she came out to assist you on certain missions," Negako stated as an amused eyebrow arched.

A nod. "Hai."

A sigh. "Very well, then. Jinseiko?"

A black blur produced the leader of the Kuromoroboshi kneeling beside the ninjutsu grandmaster. "Hai, Negako-sama?"

"What is the status of Lǐ Jiānqiáng of the Zhèngdào-huì?"

"Master Lǐ – though we actually believe it may be his twin brother, Master Lǐ Qiāndé – has arrived in Tōkyō and is now securing guest quarters at the Keiō Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku, Negako-sama," Jinseiko reported. "His reasons for being here are still unknown to us, but we are observing the situation. We do believe there MAY be a possible coup attempt against him by one of his subordinate leaders." She closed her eyes. "According to Futagoko-chan, the ki of one of those men feels very off."

"Damn . . . "

Eyes locked on Ryō. "Is this a normal thing, Ryō-san?" Hiromi asked.

A nod. "Hai. Qiāndé always makes himself available to take Jiānqiáng's place in potentially troublesome situations. I had to save Qiāndé once from people who tried to attack Jiānqiáng in Nicaragua two decades ago." Ryō sighed. "Well, well . . . "

"Jinseiko."

Jinseiko perked. "Hai, Negako-sama?"

"Inform Futagoko that Jiānqiáng – or Qiāndé – is under our protection. Ensure that anyone who tries to threaten either of them is stopped. Go now."

A bow of the head. "Hai! Excuse me, please!"

She vanished. "Why protect the leader of a Triad?" Marubeya Momoe then asked.

"Do you believe them all to be monsters, Momoe?" Negako asked.

Momoe blinked, and then she shook her head. "Iie. It's known that the leader of the Hyakuyaryū-kai, Crying Freeman, always shed tears whenever he killed anyone. It shows how human he really is even if he's seen as one of the deadliest men alive today. And even if that group does deal with normal Triad affairs, they are also supporters of legitimate freedom-fighting groups in Africa and elsewhere. But . . . "

"The Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku cannot be solely affiliated with one faction below that of the Emperor himself, Momoe," Negako stated. "We will welcome anyone who comes to seek us out for assistance regardless of what they have done in the past. Unless they are attempting regicide or are planning a fatal disruption in society as a whole, of course." She then gazed on Yō. "You were just complemented, Yō."

"Indeed I was," the master assassin of the 108 Dragons stated before he gazed on a now wide-eyed Momoe. "Momoe-san, I AM Crying Freeman. Also known as Lóng Tàiyáng, the leader of the Bǎibālóng-huì; the Hyakuyaryū-kai in Japanese." As people in the class gasped on hearing that, he smiled. "And while my organisation tends to break laws even in more civilised nations such as Japan and Hong Kong, we also – as you just said to Negako-sama – support those who require assistance others would not support. Though we do it as a business, not as a volunteer group blessed by the Son of Heaven."

As Momoe blushed, many of the guys in the class laughed . . .

. . . and then people perked on hearing the roar of motorcycles.

"Who's that?" Mifune Hideyuki asked as he looked out the window . . .

. . . and then he gasped on seeing the first of a small stream of bikers drive up the front walkway of the school property. The fluttering Southern Cross flags held by the group's _hatamochi_ flag bearers made him gape. "_**IT'S THE K**__**Ō**__**SHI KASSHI!**_"

Gasps filled the class as people streamed to the windows as the first bikers stopped their machines and shut them down before dismounting and slipping off their helmets; the one _major_ difference between the reborn Yellow Turban rebels and other bōsōzoku was the fact that as much as possible, people who rode under the command of the Hari siblings did their best to obey traffic laws unless something bad was happening and speed – especially in getting a wounded person to hospital – was needed to save lives. As she herself got to the window to gaze outside, Hiromi blinked on noting that all of the riders were tōshi themselves, their magatama earrings showing a wide variety of colours from E-rank green to D-rank red, C-rank bronze and B-rank gold . . . and, of course, the several people with silver magatama marking them as A-rank amongst their peers. Noting the overall leader of the group, Hiromi then smiled as she turned and walked out of the classroom, with Saeba Ryō immediately following her. The reborn emperor was quick to note the sweeper's presence, but didn't say anything.

"Friends of yours, Hiromi-kun?"

Hiromi then blushed before bowing apologetically to the Principal. "I didn't expect such a disturbance to fall upon the school today, Kōchō-sensei," she said as she gazed at him. "I'll make sure they don't cause trouble."

The elderly school administrator nodded, smiling in return, and then he gazed knowingly at Ryō. The sweeper nodded in reassurance, and then both he and Hiromi proceeded to the front doors. Opening them, the reborn emperor stopped as she gazed on the small group of bikers now moving to gather by the front doors; from what she had learned from Hideyuki, the Kōshi Kasshi numbered over 1200 riders divided into twelve teams based all over the Kantō region. As soon as she stopped herself at the steps leading to ground level – and Ryō had shifted himself into a covering position by the doors – Hiromi relaxed herself as she waited for the bikers to take note of her presence.

Hari Sumiko was the first to sense her.

"Majesty . . .!"

The bikers all fell silent on hearing their leader's gasped word, and then they turned . . . before their eyes all locked on the lone girl in the dark blue high school seifuku standing by the front doors. As they gazed on her – the sharper-eyed of them quick to see the magatama hanging off Hiromi's earlobe – Sumiko blinked before she walked around her brother's bike to approach her. Silence fell – even from the school; everyone in the classes with windows opening onto the front lawn were now watching this, including the teachers – as the reborn leader of the Yellow Turbans stopped herself before the reborn second-to-last emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty, her blue eyes gazing into Hiromi's brown orbs to peer directly into the other woman's soul and see what was there. After a moment, Sumiko then blinked as her own eyes teared, and then she collapsed to the ground, her hands forming the civilian salute of old China – the right hand held with the palm facing the ground, the left hand held right underneath it in the same manner – as she bowed her head. "My Emperor . . . "

"I am an emperor of nothing, Chōkaku-dono."

Hearing Hiromi's quiet statement, the bikers all blinked . . . and then Sumiko's sister Takara walked up to stand beside her sibling. Bowing her head respectfully to Hiromi, Takara then reached into her jacket pocket, drawing out a yellow bandanna emblazoned with the kanji 太平道 written right-to-left in traditional Oriental reading format. Seeing that, Hiromi then smiled; those kanji, read as _Taihei-d__ō_ in Japanese and _Tàipíng-dào_ in Mandarin, meant "Way of the Supreme Peace" and was – eighteen hundred years before – the name of the collected devoted followers of Zhāng Jiǎo and his siblings. Takara gulped and then she walked over to bow deeply once more to the reborn emperor, holding out the bandanna to her with both hands. Seeing that, Hiromi smiled . . . and then she took the banner from the older woman, deftly drawing it around her head to tie it off. On seeing that, all the Kōshi Kasshi gasped in both disbelief and heart-wrenching joy as they gazed on the visible symbol of the original dream that had initially driven their past-selves to form the Yellow Turban Party in the first place.

"_Cāngtiān y__ǐsǐ. Huángti__ān dāngl__ì. Suìzài Jiǎzǐ__, tiānxi__à dàluàn!_"

Gasps filled the crowd on hearing that ancient proclamation.

"You said that all those years ago when you – after earnestly trying, yet failing, to promote peaceful change throughout the Middle Kingdom – took up arms against a cruel and uncaring government whose leader had forever lost the Mandate of Heaven . . . if he ever had it in the first place," Hiromi then stated. As the gathered bikers all gasped in shock on hearing that proclamation, the reborn emperor pointed to herself. "History calls my past-self 'Reitei' here in the Land of the Wa. I REJECT THAT NAME!"

"Then . . . who are you?" Hari Harimi demanded.

Hiromi smiled at Sumiko's youngest sister. "My real name is Moroboshi Hiromi, my friend. My battle name is _**Ry**__**ū**__**k**__**ō**__** Ky**__**ō**__**rei**_!" As the Kōshi Kasshi all gasped on hearing that name – all of them were quick to mentally translate the word "Kyōrei" to the original Mandarin, thus guessing what Hiromi was implying – she added, "And I propose _**this**_ to you brave and noble trailblazers of the new way for all our kind: The 'romance of the Three Kingdoms' MUST END if ALL OF US are to be free of the dark 'fate' that haunts all our brothers and sisters reborn from the spirits first born from the era of _Yǒngjiàn_ to the era of _Yánk__āng_ and beyond even that!" She then sighed. "Even here and now, standing before you, I can feel the call of the past tug at your hearts and souls, my friends. I ask you to forget the words of the past I just said and say to yourself this . . . " She closed her eyes before gazing at them. "_Sānguó Y__ǎnyì bìx__ūs__ǐ!_"

Silence fell, and then a wild roar echoed from the crowd . . .

* * *

Class 1-4 . . .

"What does that mean?" Shinobu wondered.

"It literally means 'The Romance of the Three Kingdoms must die,' Shinobu."

Eyes locked on Negako. "What would that mean, Negako-san?" Mendō demanded.

"It means, Shūtarō, that the dogmas of the past must be cast forever aside to allow a new future – a new way of thinking, a new way of living – to blossom forth." The grandmaster gazed on the bikers now swarming around her sister to hug and kiss her, many of them crying out their relief and joy at the idea of the reborn Xiàolíng Emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty rejecting the past so totally and embracing THEM as her own brothers and sisters, accepting THEIR beliefs and thoughts to guide her life from this point on. "Throughout all their previous incarnations, tōshi as a whole believed they were doing what they did as a way of _honouring_ the memories of their past-selves, no matter what their past-selves did during that era of China's history." She smiled, a twinkle of pride in her voice. "As I taught Hiromi when we were on Okusei, the value of honour by itself has no relevance without truth to support it. For too long, all those souls of the Sānguó blinded themselves to the truth of the situation they lived in at the time. Until recently. I wonder what woke Sumiko and her friends to that truth."

"Perhaps it was something similar to what Akira-san ran across in Rwanda."

Negako perked on hearing Yō's voice, and then she turned to gaze towards the front gate, where a handsome man in a white business suit stood, protected by two men in somewhat flashy clothes marking them as Yakuza. Mendō Tachiko looked, and then she gaped. "That's Hōjō Akira! The leader of the Kantō Sagara-kai!" As her classmates all gasped, she gazed on the leader of the 108 Dragons. "What's _**he**_ doing here?"

"No doubt, making another move to create the 'sanctuary' he has sought since he was forced to flee Kigali with his friend Asami Chiaki," Yō stated.

Tachiko's brother perked. "Asami Chiaki?" he asked.

"Try not to speak that out in the open, Shūtarō-san," Yō stated as he and Emu moved to leave the classroom. "His ideas may merit your family's attention."

"They already have ours," Tariko added.

The scion of Japan's richest family blinked, and then he nodded . . .

* * *

"What are you doing here, Akira?"

Hōjō Akira perked on hearing that voice, and then he turned before smiling. "Saeba-san," he said as he held out his hand for Cityhunter to take. "Has the leader of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku hired you to help her navigate the ways of the world?"

"No. A friend of mine – and yours, too – came with me here to look in on Negako-chan," the sweeper said as he nodded to Tokai Takaya and Tashiro Reiji, both of whom nodded in return. "We were there ten years ago when Ataru-chan took the Promise and became the last host for Negako-chan before she finally got her own body." As the visiting Yakuza from Roppongi gaped on hearing that, Ryō sighed. "So what about you?"

"My quest to make a sanctuary for those like me is about to take a bigger step to encompass the whole human race, Saeba-san. Not to mention those who came to join us recently from another solar system," the godfather of the Sagara-kai stated. "Fate and necessity force a meeting with the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku." He then smiled on noting two people walking towards them from the school building, hand-in-hand. "I would assume that the Society of the 108 Dragons has come to a similar conclusion?"

"We have."

Akira turned, and then offered his hand to his old middle school classmate. "It's been a long time, Yō-san," he said as Hinomura Yō shook that hand.

A nod. "Indeed it has, Akira-san . . . "

* * *

The Swiss Alps, southwest of Altdorf in Uri, that moment (local time: before dawn) . . .

"Your report, please."

"Yes, Chairman Ryū," the elderly man said as he stood up. "Ever since most of the countries of the United Nations began allowing Avalonians to settle within their borders last week, massive financial contributions by the various community groups of new settlers have been pouring into local, sub-national and national banks. This has been done either directly through an unofficial 'immigration tax' paid by each group to the host governments . . . or indirectly through 'intellectual property payments' to various companies – mostly in the defence sphere – for the construction of new equipment for their use. This is projected, by the end of this month, to lead to the complete upgrading of the armed forces of all the nations now welcoming Avalonians within their borders. As I reported two days ago, sir, Avalonians have been flocking to recruiting centres worldwide to commence military service, full-time and part-time."

"What would this ultimately do?" another of the senior directors of the Wisdom Alliance demanded as several of his peers began whispering to each other; even if it was quite early in the morning in Switzerland, they were all awake and sharp.

A sigh. "We don't know exact numbers at this time, but I did have subordinates in my group prepare estimates for countries under my purview," the director reporting on the "space women" – as the worldwide press had come to nickname Avalonians as a whole – stated. "Take the Dominion of Canada, for example. As of this time, her land forces are structured in three mechanised infantry brigade groups in the regular forces with small division-level support units, plus a total of ten reserve brigade groups. If what those Avalonians now living in Canada plan bears fruit, her army will increase in size to SIX regular brigade groups – including one armoured brigade group and a light infantry brigade group to support special forces such as Joint Task Force Two – and a total of TWENTY-FOUR reserve brigade groups, eight of which would be armoured. AND equipped with the latest hardware TO FULL WARTIME MANNING STRENGTH!" As stunned silence fell in the wake of that declaration, the elderly man added, "We don't know the numbers for the larger nations such as America, Russia, China and India, but we suspect they too will have their military forces increased to a proportionally comparable level."

"Oh, my God! That's the perfect trigger for World War Three!"

"I disagree."

Silence.

"What do you mean?" the chairman of the Alliance, Ryū Sogen, asked.

"Sir, we all know – and we have confirmed this through the Special Committee on Alien Activities – the story behind the Avalonians," the director making the report on the alien bioroid race stated. "They were treated for the most part as SEX SLAVES by a race that had vowed – in the treaty that allowed the Niphentaxians to become full members of the Galactic Federation of Planet-States – that no form of chattel slavery would be practiced with other sentient beings, which the Avalonians clearly were all along. Because of that, the Avalonians as a whole have more than enough reasons to not trust any government of any member state of the Federation, especially the Oni on the planet Uru; they were – and by all appearances, according to the MIBs, still are – the Niphentaxians' chief allies. Thus, given the current geo-political situation around our solar system – as we've also learned from the MIBs – it makes all the sense in the Universe to prepare military forces at such a high level that any attempt at direct invasion of our planet would be too costly for any race to contemplate, even those whom the Oni believe would have done such a thing like the Ipraedies and the Seifukusu."

"Have Professor Rhetor's group determined if either of those races are thinking of doing that to us now that the Oni have been chased away?" another director asked.

A shake of the head. "No. Whatever the Noukiites did to persuade the leaders on both Dominos and Ipraedos to back off from this solar system, it's clearly working. Recent 'quiet' migrants to Earth from worlds the MIBs are in contact with are reporting that despite understandable agitation from radical war-mongering leaders – especially on Ipraedos – more level-headed government leaders and advisors are advising a 'wait and see' posture when it comes to the merging of Terran and Avalonian into one race."

"What of the proposal to acquire the thirty Earth-like planets in the Seifukusu sectors closest to us for future colonisation?" Ryū demanded.

"The MIBs are still analysing how such would go over on Dominos, Chairman," another man who served as the Alliance's watchperson over the Special Committee on Alien Activities answered. "On the one hand, it would be economically sound; the total expenditures to maintain these colonies are far too great to justify and their current populations are exactly as Moroboshi Ataru himself reported to the media when he returned to school last week. On the other hand, the Seifukusu as a race are quite proud and arrogant, looking on other civilised species – especially humanoid species such as ourselves – as 'lesser' than they. To actually withdraw from worlds they've claimed for over a millennium would be quite galling to the Seifukusu leadership."

Ryū nodded as his good eye – he had lost his right eye in a battle between the Alliance and the forces of _les Soldats_ years ago – narrowed. "Amazing, isn't it?"

"Sir?" the reporting director asked.

"That other races supposedly more 'advanced' than we are guided by people who would not be out of place in Hitler's Germany or Stalin's Russia," the chairman of the Alliance stated, which made many of the in the main meeting room laugh. "What of the plans to terraform Mars and Venus? Otako Meinyak proposed that when she first met with Secretary-General Pan. How soon could something like that happen?"

"Possibly within the year for Mars; a longer period for Venus, Chairman," a man who served as the Alliance's chief scientific advisor replied. "The Noukiites – as the Lady Chancellor Nakkyek reported to the Secretary-General the day they came to remove the Niphentaxians from Earth – are going to persuade our system-mates on Triton to shift the dumping of the snow they remove from their world to Mars from Earth, using ecological renewal offers to restore Neptune herself to habitability as a prompt to make King Fuyu ignore any demands from the Oni to leave the planet as is." As many of the people in the room all shook their heads – the Wisdom Alliance, thanks to private relations with the Men in Black, had been aware of the Terrans' system-mates for years before Mienai herself had first visited Earth after the Tag Race – he added, "It is believed that the senior leaders on Triton will eventually agree to do that. After all, the Lady Chancellor spoke of this whole situation to the combined leadership of the Federation worlds on the planet Tahupraemiku some days ago . . . and during that meeting, the Yizibajohei metahuman warrior named 'Infinity' appeared, vowing the Free State's support for Earth's continued freedom from any influence from the Oni or other peoples."

Ryū chuckled. "'They Who Must Never Be Named,' indeed . . . "

Laughter filled the room; all those in the room were fully aware of those magical societies hidden from notice by the normals . . . and they all knew of events that had rocked the magical side of the United Kingdom a little over a decade before. "So you're saying the Avalonians are prompting this world-wide mass military build-up to ensure that if someone DOES try something against Earth, we'd be prepared with trained troops and massive levels of reserves to repulse them?" the director that had warned about the possible coming of a third world war due to such a build-up of force asked.

"Exactly," the reporting director stated. "While administrative control of the fifty space battleships built by Ki Tsukihana and Hakaru Ayami will, regretfully, be vested at the national level and not the United Nations, there are plans to construct more ships of different types. Space aircraft carriers, missile cruisers, destroyers, frigates, landing ships and support vessels. This will – atop allowing ALL nations on Earth to be represented in the UNEDF – give us a fleet that will possess even greater striking power than what the Niphentaxians possessed before Ganzo dai-Louc and the Moroboshi siblings joined the Noukiites and the Yehisrites to attack Phentax Twelve."

"And the plans to build colonisation ships?" Ryū asked.

"That is going ahead," the science director stated. "Various cruise lines and other shipping firms have begun negotiations with the Avalonians to commence design work on combined passenger/cargo ships to the same scale as the Type One battleships for use as colonisation craft once emigration to other worlds begins regardless of where such emigration will go. The leaders of Carnival, Maersk, Hanjin and other companies are proceeding under the assumption that the Seifukusu will see reason eventually and allow us to take over the thirty planets in the spinward marches of the Dominion's territory." A shrug. "Even if we get just ONE planet, sir . . . "

Nods all around the table. "Incredible," Ryū then breathed out. "The overall dream of the Alliance could be fulfilled within our lifetimes." He then straightened himself. "What of recruiting efforts to bring Avalonians into the Alliance?"

The director of recruiting stood. "Sir, there are many Avalonians across the world and aboard the bioroid factory itself who have expressed interest in working with us, both openly and covertly. As their overall goal – to live free of outside influence – dovetails perfectly with our own overall goal of uniting and advancing the human race in peace and harmony, they do not object to certain of our more . . . well, 'questionable' actions." He then smirked. "As a matter of fact, Chairman Ryū, I was contacted personally by the Avalonian ambassador to the European Union, Madame Ilse Garten, last night. She wishes the chance to meet you personally."

Ryū blinked. "How soon can Ambassador Garten come?"

A smirk. "Does twenty minutes sound a little too soon, sir?"

The other directors all gaped . . .

* * *

Twenty minutes later . . .

"Welcome to the home of the Wisdom Alliance, Madame Ambassador."

"Chairman Ryū, it's a pleasure to meet you."

Cameras went off as the leader of the Wisdom Alliance sized up his current visitor as they moved to take their seats in Ryū's private office. Ilse Magdalena Garten – unlike the vast majority of her race – had resided on Earth for over a decade. As she had personally explained to the President of the European Council, former Belgian Prime Minister Herman Van Rompuy, on their first meeting a week ago, the Niphentaxians had been interested in Earth ever since the former race had learned of the latter around the time of the Industrial Revolution in the mid-1700s. Cultural observers from that planet had inserted themselves into Terran society for years, using their own race's gifts for mimicry to blend into surrounding society without risk of discovery. Ilse's own master – who had been captured by a joint MIB-Noukiite team at the same time the main force from the Imperial Dominion under the leadership of She Who Speaks to Dragons had cleared out Tomobiki and her environs – had been a member of the Guardians, a secret extra-governmental organisation whose purpose reminded Ryū very much of the goals the Wisdom Alliance had pursued since its foundation in 1815 from the last surviving elements of the original Illuminati of Bavaria. Of course, given that the Guardians had been willing to go along with the horrifying idea of planting a COBALT BOMB in Tomobiki . . .!

Ryū dismissed that thought as he gazed on his guest. Like all of her race, Ilse was stunningly beautiful. Terran-form and appearing to be in her early twenties, she had the mouth-watering looks of a German supermodel, with flowing dark blonde hair that went down to mid-back and eyes the blue of a clear sky looking out of a very shapely face. She was dressed quite conservatively in a business suit with a turtleneck sweater under her jacket, the twin-phoenix badge of her true people on her jacket lapel, the _Bundesflagge_ of the Federal Republic of Germany on the other lapel; on her freedom, the German government had automatically awarded Ilse and her dozen sisters then resident in Dresden citizenship even if they now formed the direct governmental liaison between Berlin and the bioroid factory in orbit over the Moon. As the recruiting director – who had brought Ilse into the office as soon as she beamed in via the starship _Bismarck_ from her home – had explained to Ryū, Ilse was currently soul-bonded to the Avalonian Ambassador to Germany, Madame Leonie Schmidt. Both had legally registered their relationship with the state government of Saxony and were the legal guardians of an orphaned teenage girl named Annalise Garten, whom Ilse had befriended shortly after the poor child's real parents had died in a plane crash a year ago.

"I trust we aren't intruding on your day," Ryū noted.

Ilse shook her head. "My wife is currently with Annalise aboard the bioroid factory arranging for her to undergo a body-swap so she will genetically become an Avalonian herself; that should be done before sundown today here in Europe." A smile. "Annalise was born with non-magical psychic powers; she possesses both a form of psychokinesis as well as a projective form of telepathy. Before I met her, she had begun to practice with those powers and was developing a rather nasty negative attitude towards their use concerning normal Terrans around her." She sighed. "I was able to eventually make her see that her gifts need to be used in a more constructive manner, though it was difficult at the start, especially with my 'relationship' with my former master." A smirk. "He actually hoped to train that poor girl to become strong enough to deal with both the Lady K'ekhech and Infinity themselves. Foolish . . . "

Ryū nodded, and then he blinked. "Wait! Your daughter's a PK?"

"'PK?' Oh, short for 'psychokinetic,' you mean! _Ja_, she is."

"What's her full name?"

"Turm Annalise Stefanie Garten."

Ryū blinked again, and then he laughed. "Oh, my! How ironic!"

"How so?" Ilse asked.

"We've been interested in acquiring the services of psychokinetics like your daughter for some years, Madame Ambassador," the recruiting director stated, keeping his voice calm so as to not appear to be threatening; he knew well of the Avalonians' overwhelming devotion towards children. "Mostly as a way of countering potential foes who possess metahuman and magical warriors in their own right such as the various 'hit-wizards' that work as independent mercenaries across the planet. Your daughter – whom we knew under the name 'Turm Garten;' we didn't know she preferred her second name – was on our list, though we never knew of her relationship to yourself, of course."

"I see," Ilse stated as she gave the other man a knowing look, and then she sighed. "Well, personally, if she wishes to eventually work directly for you, I won't object. But I would prefer if she manages to get through high school first."

"More than understandable," Ryū stated with a polite nod. "I'm not sure if you really know about our organisation, but there have been times when my predecessors as the Chairman of the Alliance have stepped way over reasonable limits to influence worldwide events."

A nod. "_Ja_, especially when it came to the last world war and how your group's actions provoked a brutal response from this planet's Jewel Warrior in 1945."

Many of the Alliance personnel there all shuddered on hearing their guest mention Major Dean Raeburn in their presence, though Ilse was quick to see that Ryū was staying calm and collected. "Yes, that's true," he admitted. "Our group's goals have always been to see humanity finally throw off the shackles various forms of tribalism that have led to war and other such disasters provoked, then advance as one people to a much brighter future. We do, I admit, influence matters in the economic spheres to make more selfish national leaders see reason, but these days – I hope! – we won't get to the point we were seventy years ago as the world seemed to want to gut itself around us." He then smiled. "Your race's decision to come to our world and help us advance into the stars is practically a dream come true for my organisation. I hope that those such as you who will work with us both openly and quietly will help make such happen as soon as practicable." A sigh. "Our race does need that sort of help."

"Which you shall receive, sir," the Avalonian-German ambassador for her people to most of Europe stated. "You'll probably have noted by now that our contributions to the public coffers have taken a massive bite out of national, regional and local debts. According to friends of mine in the _Bundesministerium der Finanzen_, the total number of funds we've paid directly to the three levels of government in Germany – as well as indirectly through intellectual property right usage payments to companies such as Krauss-Maffei and Airbus – will take a massive bite out of public debt. We hope to help see it fully eliminated within the year, not just here but throughout all of the European Union." As her hosts all gaped on hearing that, Ilse smiled. "In more debt-ridden nations such as the United States and Japan, within three years."

"Why . . .?" Ryū breathed out.

"What better way to generate trust amongst our new allies?" she asked. "While those of my sisters throughout the European Union and other nations with more liberal forms of social thought have been accepted without much in the way of objections amongst their new countrymen, there are those societies who are more conservative – especially in the theological spectrum – than Germany. You've no doubt heard of what my sisters now living in the Middle East have started to do, have you not?"

Ryū chuckled. "I have, indeed. And I agree with such a stance, especially when it comes to young women who've been _falsely_ accused of such things." He then hummed. "Though we have noticed that those men who have tried to unleash such crimes on their own kin have not suffered any sort of real recriminations for their actions."

"While many of my sisters there would gladly unleash such things on monsters like that, Mister Chairman, we do realise how influential – in their own way – those _people_ . . . " – she had spat out that word – " . . . are with their local and national governments. At this stage of the game, simply denying them the chance to kill those poor innocents – even those girls who would be 'guilty' of such 'crimes' due to youthful impetuousness – would be damaging enough. National leaders in that part of the world aren't foolish; they will NOT kill the goose that lays the golden egg." As the people around her laughed, she smiled. "But that is for my counterparts in that part of Earth to deal with directly. As I'm sure Director Weishaupt has already explained to you before I came, I am here to help forge a permanent working alliance between my sisters and your organisation. Plus, I hope, help your organisation make peace with other like organisations around the planet, creating a 'grand alliance' – if I can call it that – to better assist our peoples as they advance forth together."

Silence.

"What sort of alliance?" Ryū asked.

"Are you aware of the Society of the 108 Dragons?"

A nod. "The largest of the mainland-based Chinese _Sānhéhu__ì_, though that particular group is totally free of any influence from Běijīng, much less Hong Kong or Macau."

"As we speak, the leader of the 108 Dragons, Master Hinomura Yō, is in Japan to meet with Thoughtmistress-prime Moroboshi Negako and her sister Hiromi, the future head of the United Nations Earth Defence Force," Ilse stated. "Master Yō – with the full support of his group's senior advisors as well as their allies worldwide such as Askari in Africa and the remnants of the Camorra Group in Italy and the Hakushin Society in Japan – is envisioning an unofficial alliance of all major worldwide secret societies that will ensure those who might oppose your race's advancement to the stars will be stopped before they bring people to harm. One of his people made contact with my counterpart in Běijīng, Madame Qiāng Yǜshuǐ, about this idea a week ago. Your organisation was spoken of quite prominently by Master Yō's representative."

Ryū gaped as his mind nearly crashed from that stunning revelation by his current guest. _CRYING FREEMAN said _that_ about_ us_?_ "I see . . . "

Ilse smiled. "While there were things the Wisdom Alliance did in the past which we would not approve of, those incidents are in the past and should not cloud our dreams and hopes for the future, Mister Chairman. The same is true for the groups who prompted Master Yō's journey back to the land of his birth just now. And prompted several of my sisters in similar positions across Earth to seek out other organisations in the same manner as I am now speaking to you." She sighed. "One of those groups, I should advise you, is _les Soldats_ in France." She closed her eyes as Ryū tensed. "I would understand if you personally found that objectionable given the past history you had with that organisation; Director Weishaupt explained that to me."

Silence fell as the chairman of the Wisdom Alliance considered that, and then he sighed. "That was decades ago," he then said with a smirk. "As time has marched on, the few times members of the Alliance and the Soldiers have run across each other did not provoke any violent incidents. The battle where I lost my eye actually was the last of several fights that ultimately stemmed from our conflict with the Protector of All Life as she moved to help bring World War Two to an end." He ignored the shudders many of the people in the room felt on his mentioning Major Raeburn's often-used nickname amongst the mystically-minded peoples of Earth. "I also know the leaders of the Soldiers ultimately feel it unnecessary to launch a war against the 108 Dragons. The original Camorra Group were a thorn in the sides of both the Soldiers and the Dragons; if Freeman hadn't dealt with them, a new team of Noir would have been formed and sent in."

Ilse nodded. "The assassin duo that has served _les Soldats_ since its inception during the age of Charlemagne, mostly to deal with so-called 'dark wizards.'"

He smiled. "You know about that?"

"My counterpart in Paris, Madame Simone Flaubert, met with Remy Brefford, who is on the ruling council of _les Soldats_, two days ago. I've yet to receive any news concerning what her efforts concerning persuading them to join us resulted in . . . "

A chuckle. "From what I've known of him, Mister Brefford is a very logical and rational man. He will see the advantages an alliance with your people; I have no doubts about that. I'm sure that Madame Flaubert will be relaying some good news to you soon enough about those talks." Ryū then smiled. "Much that I personally don't want to stop talking to you, I haven't had breakfast today; this morning's meeting started at first light and only ended when Director Weishaupt contacted you. Would you care to join me for breakfast? The cooks we have here are quite good."

She grinned. "I'd be delighted . . . "

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Koreans that consider themselves part of the **Chōsen-seki** (in Korean, _Chosŏn-jŏk_, which means "list of Chosŏn") have effectively declared themselves neutral in the North-South split of their ancestral homeland. Such people are seen at least by the South Korean government as not having the right to enter the Republic of Korea (as decided by the Sŏul High Court in 2010). The designation "Chōsen-seki" is used by the National Registrar of Japan as a way of identifying such people.

2) **Shinryaku Natsumi** is a character from the _Yatsura_ manga, she appeared in the stories "No Crybabies" and "No Love on the Court" (manga episodes #49-50).

3) Translation: **Iinchō** – Chairman of a committee (the full term for class representatives is **Gakky****ū** Iinchō, literally meaning "School Class Level Committee Chairman"); **Cāngtiān yǐsǐ. Huángtiān dānglì. Suìzài Jiǎzǐ, tiānxià dàluàn!** – "The Blue Heaven has died. The Yellow Heaven will soon rise. In the Year of the Wood Rat, let there be prosperity in the world!" (the rally-cry of the Yellow Turbans); **Yǒngjiàn** – "Eternal Foundation," the Chinese era name dating from 126-132 C.E.; **Yánkāng** – "Delayed Peace," the ear name given to the year 220 C.E. (but wasn't extended further as that was the year the Xiàoxiàn Emperor of Hàn was deposed from the throne and the Hàn Dynasty officially ended); **Sānhéhuì** – "Society of Three Harmonies," the proper Chinese name for a triad.

4) The "twenty-first year of Meiji" is the year 1888 C.E.

5) The **Human Leukocyte Antigen** (HLA) system is the name of the **major histocompatibility complex** (MHC) molecule types that appear on the surface of all cells in the human body. The HLA makes sure that any sort of non-compatible tissue can be rejected by the body's auto-immune system. Fooling the HLA system is the primary goal of organ-transplant cases, especially something as radical as what Lǐ Xiāngyíng had to endure to be given Saeba Kaori's heart; this is shown in the thirteenth episode of _Angel Heart_, "A Present from Master Lǐ."

6) As with _Sanctuary_, the back story of _Mai The Psychic Girl_ have been shifted around to correspond with what is happening on Earth in 2010; the original story was set in the late 1990s and the **Wisdom Alliance** had dedicated themselves to averting a possible nuclear war to occur on 9 September 1999. In reading _Mai_, I noted that the Alliance tended to follow the general example of the original **Illuminati** (the plural form of the Latin word _illuminatus_, meaning "enlightened") that existed in Bavaria under the leadership of Adam Weishaupt (1748-1830) from 1776 until such organisations were outlawed in 1785 by the Bavarian government and condemned as a heresy by the Roman Catholic Church. Of course, fans of Marvel Comics in recent years will recognise the name "Illuminati" as the secret alliance of Tony Stark (Iron Man), Professor Charles Xavier (Professor X), Doctor Stephen Strange, Namor (the Sub-Mariner), Reed Richards (Mister Fantastic) and Blackagar Boltagon (Black Bolt) which eventually provoked the _World War Hulk_ storyline that was published in 2007.

7) **Annalise Garten** is one of the psychokinetics which interested the Alliance in _Mai The Psychic Girl_; I changed her preferred given name from "Turm" (as was used in the _Mai_ manga) as that word means "Tower" in German and is not a proper girl's name, though I did keep it as part of her overall name.


	23. The Soldiers of the Franks

Tōkyō, Shinjuku Ward, the Keiō Plaza Hotel . . .

"Who are you?"

The demand of one of the junior bosses of the Zhèngdào-huì had all the people in the private meeting room next to the guest room reserved for the leader of that organization on their feet. They all were gazing on the lovely woman with the dark skin and quasi-Oriental features denoting she was the child of an American serviceman and a Japanese mother, in the black, form-fitting uniform of a special warrior, who was now kneeling close to the desk where Lǐ Jiānqiáng – in truth, it was his twin brother, Qiāndé; only Chén Shìzhě knew about the deception that protected the true leader of the Zhèngdào-huì from potential assassination threats – was sitting.

"You black bitch!" one of the younger men snarled as he reached for his pistol.

"STOP!"

Said man blinked as Chén held out his cane to tap into the fellow's face. "You idiot!" the elderly grand chamberlain of the Zhèngdào-huì snarled. "Do you not recognise this young woman as one of the Kuromoroboshi, the warriors of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku?" As surprised gasps filled the room, Chén relaxed as he gazed on the visiting ninjutsu-ka. "Forgive this young fool, good lady. He forgot his manners."

"It is forgotten, Master Chén," Ankoku Futagoko stated eloquently as she gazed in amusement at him before she turned and bowed formally to Qiāndé. "Master Lǐ, forgive my sudden intrusion upon your private meeting with your noble subordinates, but my honourable and humble grandmaster has commanded my presence here today concerning the matter of your missing agent, whom you've address as Glass Heart." As the visitors from Taiwan gasped, she added, "She is aware of what has happened to the unfortunate one and offers the full support of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku in ensuring she returns to the fold of your noble organisation as quickly and as quietly as possible."

"I see," Qiāndé breathed out. "The assistance of a noble organisation such as your own is welcome in locating our lost sparrow." As most of the people in the room – Futagoko was quick to sense that Zhāng Hēishé, the chief of the Qīnglóng Unit, the Zhèngdào-huì's special action group, was upset by that declaration – relaxed on hearing their leader's acceptance of the Kuromoroboshi's offer, he added, "But why is it your group is willing to help us? The Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku have more important things to deal with, the least of which being the arrival of the Avalonians your grandmaster and her siblings rescued from enslavement two weeks ago."

"You are correct, Master Lǐ," Futagoko stated. "However, we are also aware that the unfortunate one who served your noble organisation now bears the living heart of the late wife of a man my honourable and humble grandmaster calls 'friend.'"

"Who do you speak of, child?" Chén demanded, his eyes wide with surprise; given Moroboshi Negako's known disgust and distrust of most humans, that she was willing to call someone her "friend" was truly extraordinary.

"The heart now beating in the unfortunate one's chest once belonged to Saeba Kaori, formerly Makimura Kaori. She was the wife and partner of Master Saeba Ryō, known better amongst our circles as 'Cityhunter.'" As the visitors from Taiwan all blinked and Qiāndé stared in surprise at the young shinobi, Futagoko added, "Master Ryō – as well as Master Hinomura Yō, known to you as 'Crying Freeman' – was there the day ten years ago when my late mistress' grandson was made to take the Sacred Promise of Bunka Go-nen to become my honourable and humble grandmaster's fifty-seventh and last host." As Chén and the disguised Qiāndé nodded, she continued, "To that end, since we fully understand what necessitated the swift appropriation of the late Mistress Kaori's living heart to allow your missing agent to live, we must therefore consider her as a friend of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku as we consider Master Ryō a friend of the group."

"I see. Has there been any news of her arrival in Japan?" Qiāndé asked.

"Nothing as of yet, Master Lǐ. We have contacted friends across the nation to keep an eye out for her, but they will not intercept her given the stringent level of training she was made to endure while being moulded as part of the Zhūquè Unit." The Kuromoroboshi was quick to sense the chill that ran through the room on hearing of THAT particular group. Trying not to smile too much at the fear many of the people here felt towards that deadly cadre of elite assassins – though Futagoko knew that people such as Lǐ Xiāngyíng were not up to the level of people such as Hinomura Yō and Yūmura Kirika – she then said, "Once we have a clear sighting, we will approach her in peace and confidence, then offer her a place where she can rest and recuperate from awakening and finding herself so overwhelmingly influenced by Mistress Kaori's fighting spirit."

"You have our thanks," Qiāndé said, nodding.

With that, the Kuromoroboshi vanished into the darkness. "Gods!" one of the men in the room then gasped. "How in the name of the Fates did she DO that?"

"Saikō Jinseijutsu-ryū is one of the daughter schools born of the Immortal Master's own teachings," Chén stated. "That the Earth Angel was born of the combined memories and knowledge of _**hundreds**_ of the Immortal Master's very own students – even by proxy – over a period of seven hundred years should not have surprised anyone, especially those who helped in the Great Lady Negako's very own creation."

"Master Lǐ, do we REALLY want outsiders to get involved with this?" Zhāng then demanded. "Especially with Freeman here in Japan? If he learns of it . . .!"

"He probably already knows."

Silence.

"Master Lǐ . . .!" another of the men breathed out.

"Chén."

The elderly grand chamberlain perked. "Yes?"

"You will go to Tomobiki," Qiāndé then stated. "Extend my deepest thanks to Grandmaster Negako for her assistance in tracing down Glass Heart. Also – if he is there at the time – approach Master Lóng. See if he is here for any other reason than to meet with the Lady Grandmaster. Keep things peaceful between our organisations."

A deep bow. "Of course, Master Lǐ."

* * *

Tomobiki High School . . .

"On behalf of my group, Kōchō-sensei, I apologise for causing such disharmony with your school. Unfortunately, the Fates demanded our coming here so that Master Akira could get the chance to meet personally with Hiromi-sama and Master Yō."

"Oh, please, Sumiko-san. Don't apologise," the Principal said before he nodded his thanks as a younger member of the Kōshi Kasshi poured some tea for him. "Much that we do our best to ensure that students here learn everything we can teach them, I'm of the opinion that experiencing real life in the open also helps in their education. That's why I was so willing to tolerate all the unusual excesses that occurred here when Hensō-kun and her friends were living amongst us." He then gazed over to the small crowd nearby, seated like he was on a blanket laid out on the front lawn as tea and snacks were served to the reborn emperor of the Latter Hàn Dynasty and her current guests. "Things are never black-and-white in life. Your group lives that fact every day of your lives. They call you all bōsōzoku . . . but there are many people throughout all of Kantō who have you to thank for saving their lives and property. Being exposed to those such as yourself and your friends – not to mention an elite assassin like Yō-san, a leader of the Kantō underworld like Akira-san, to say anything of a remarkable free agent like Ryō-san – will teach these kids much more than what they can learn in a classroom. For that, I thank you for this chance, young lady."

Sumiko smiled. "You are a very wise man, sir."

"Sumiko-sempai?"

The leader of the Kōshi Kasshi gasped on hearing that voice, and then she looked over to see Hiromi gazing directly at her. "H-h-hai . . .?"

"Would you attend me for a spell?" the reborn emperor then asked. "Master Yō and Master Akira are plotting something that will be of great import to all of us – Terran and Avalonian alike – and I would require your great wisdom and deep heart to better understand these matters. If it is not interfering in other matters?"

Sumiko blinked, and then she smiled. "I would be honoured, Hiromi-sama."

She walked over to kneel to Hiromi's right rear. Seeing that, the visitors from other places all smiled. "Amazing," Saeba Ryō mused. "She's the leader of the most famous bike gang in all of Kantō, possessing numbers that would make even the Sannō-kai hold back in fear . . . and she has the manners of a lady of the Imperial Court."

"Where exactly, Ryō-san? Here or in Běijīng?" Hinomura Emu asked.

"Or perhaps Luòyáng?" Bái Yáshàn wondered.

Laughter. "A pity my heart belongs elsewhere," Hiromi stated. "I feel I've inherited a little bit of Onii-san's attraction for more mature women." As people gazed on Ataru – who was blinking in surprise at his sister's comments – Hiromi giggled as she noted that Sumiko's cheeks were now as red as ripe cherries at her complement. "Much that I know you really don't trust someone like Sakura-sensei, you do like her as a person, Onii-san. And look how passionate things were between you and Kyech-san. She is at least thirty-five by Noukiite standards even if physically, she is around nineteen years of age. I suspect that you might end up finally winning the love of an older woman when you get over what happened on Okusei finally."

Ataru hummed. "Well, you got a point there, Hiromi. What happened between Hensō and I was partially – hell, MOSTLY! – influenced by what Onē-san was doing to my subconscious mind." He then sighed. "Maybe you're right . . . "

"You're hurting, aren't you?"

He gazed at Ryō, who was giving him a knowing look. "I'm not the only one."

"Yeah," the sweeper agreed, nodding in turn.

Silence fell over the scene. "Your wife's spirit, in part, lives on, Ryō-kun," Sumiko then stated. "In the young woman who served the Society of the Positive Way until last year, when the darkness overwhelmed her and she flung herself into the mercy of the Dào. You may not ever be married again . . . but in one odd sense of the term, you have a daughter now. You must see to her welfare when she comes to you."

"What of Qiāndé and his brother?" Ryō then asked; he had encountered the leader of the Kōshi Kasshi several times in the past and knew that this woman – no doubt thanks to what she had inherited from her past-self – was quite powerful in a mystical way. "Xiāngyíng is Jiānqiáng's baby girl, one he was separated from for the good part of twelve years. He'd want to have her back where he can watch over her."

"I doubt it."

Eyes locked on Hinomura Yō. "What do you mean?" Emu asked her husband.

A sigh. "That leads to the reason why our predecessors were wary of the whole concept of allowing succession in our group to be dynastic. From father to son . . . or daughter, if necessary," Yō stated. "If people learned of the relationship between Jiānqiáng and Xiāngyíng, it would be the perfect excuse to start a gang war. You've heard what Elder Jupiter told me about what the leader of the Qīnglóng Unit wants to eventually do with the whole of the Zhèngdào-huì if he gets the chance."

Emu sighed. "True . . . "

"What is going on with that group, Master Yō?" Hiromi wondered.

A sigh. "Lǐ Jiānqiáng has led the Zhèngdào-huì for forty years, bringing up the organisation from an unofficial immigration aid and protection agency for those Chinese wanting to flee the Communists from the mainland to Taiwan. These days, it's the most powerful Triad on the island. But due to his age, there is agitation amongst many of the young group leaders – especially Zhāng Hēishé, who leads the group's paramilitary wing, the Qīnglóng Unit – to push Master Lǐ aside and expand in a very aggressive manner. That would bring the Zhèngdào-huì directly into conflict with my own group, to say anything of Akira-san's group here in Tōkyō and the Sannō-kai in Kōbe should they decide to turn north towards Japan." A sigh. "Personally, I like Jiānqiáng. He's still hungry, but he knows that provoking a multi-way gang war would wreck everything he's spent his whole life building up." A glance to Hōjō Akira. "His own sanctuary – for himself and others who refused to bow to communists – in a way."

"But that is the risk one has to take to live, Yō-san," the godfather of the Sagara-kai then stated. "You know that as well as I do."

"True. But look at what you're trying to do," Yō stated. "You're truly to help people like Tokai and his peers to become something they could have never imagined being beforehand." He waved to Akira's former boss in the Hokushō-kai in emphasis. "It helps you, but it also helps them as well. That's how you and Chiaki-san got out of Rwanda sixteen years ago." As several of the students all gasped in shock on hearing that, Yō smiled. "You set the rules for your escape and you played them, knowing the risk and believing in the ultimate goal. There are many others who feel the same as you. Instead of fighting them, work with them. Share ideas. I think you'll get a receptive audience all the way down in Nara and Kitakyūshū. And Kōbe."

Akira blinked, and then he sighed. "For so long – ever since I became part of the Sagara-kai – I've had to fight against old fools who are so set in their ways, they won't entertain making any changes in life. Chiaki runs into the same problems dealing with the Diet." A shake of the head. "I guess I'm so used to seeing things like that, when I encounter something different, it takes me by surprise."

"How exactly did you do away with your predecessor?" Mendō Shūtarō asked.

"He suffered a stroke one day and eventually passed away."

Silence.

"You KILLED him . . .?"

That was a wide-eyed Miyake Shinobu. Before anyone could say anything, a cold voice then stated, "Shinobu, before you judge, learn all the facts."

Ataru's former girlfriend blinked as she gazed on Negako, and then she turned to look once more on Akira. Her eyes then focused on the two other Yakuza who had come with the leader of the Sagara-kai to this meeting. Noting the embarrassed look on Tashiro Reiji's face and the calm acceptance on Tokai Takaya's, she then hummed before gazing back at Akira. "Was he trying to kill you?" she then asked.

A nod. "Yes. I was involved in helping my friend get elected into the Diet and the man whose seat Chiaki desired ran to Sagara-san to put me down so that Chiaki would fail in his quest to get into the Diet. The _oyabun_ actually prompted Tokai-san to do it." Akira thumbed his former "elder brother" in the Hokushō-kai in emphasis. "I was able to make Tokai-san realise that he was being treated as a marionette by our late family leader, thus moved to get him to take Sagara-san's place."

"But – since I AM a dumb Yakuza – I soon realised I wasn't material to become _oyabun_," Tokai added. "The Boss has the smarts for the job, so I got him declared the new _oyabun_ when Mirata made the announcement in front of all the society heads just before the old fool croaked finally." He took a puff from his cigarette. "He may dress nice and talks like a professor, but the Boss is like you in a way, kid."

Shinobu blinked, her cheeks instantly reddening. "M-m-ME?"

A nod. "Yeah. When that Oni showed up and tried to poach your man, you fought back to keep him in your grasp. Even discovered things about yourself you never knew before, eh?" As Shinobu's cheeks reddened even more, Tokai smirked. "Even we've heard of you. You're the girl that can rip out a tree from the ground and swing it about like a baseball bat when you feel threatened. But you're the nicest lady around when you're not being threatened. So's the Boss." He gazed on Akira, the look of a proud older brother showing on his scarred and unshaven face. "You deal with him right, he deals with you right. You try to do dirty, he rips your throat out." He then stared at Hiromi. "We gotta be that way when dealing with the aliens, eh?"

Hiromi smiled. "Some of them, Master Takaya." As he blushed, she added, "Especially boors who have no problem placing a _frontier defence base's self-destruct device_ in the middle of one of the most densely populated areas on this planet . . . "

"The cobalt bomb?" Tashiro asked.

A nod. "Aye, Master Reiji. And that was done most likely as a way of ensuring the place they viewed as their 'holy city' would NOT turn away from what they believed was the 'right and proper' thing." A sip of her tea. "Much less the race that, in all effect, ALLOWED such a thing to happen because they needed that first race's military power at their side to ensure any potential enemy wouldn't threaten them in the long term." A shake of the head. "Much that I realise that Hensō-san was pretty much a normal girl for her people, she should have realised what was going on and told us."

"Why didn't she?" Emu asked.

"Deep down, she was afraid that her 'darling' would discover the means to drive her out of his life once and for all . . . and use it," Negako stated. "And do it in such a way that any attempt at reprisal would be effectively rendered meaningless."

"Pity she did do that!" Inu Chigaiko noted. "Would have saved us all the damned trouble if she had been even the least bit honest from the start."

A nod. "Indeed."

"So I would assume that you would wish to ensure this never happens again?"

Eyes locked on the leader of the 108 Dragons. "I would desire that, Master Yō," Hiromi then stated. "How exactly would this 'grand alliance' you plan to form with other societies like yours and Master Akira's help out in this manner?"

Yō smiled. "Quite simple," he stated. "When one wipes away all the different legal, moral and cultural factors that have governed conflict on Earth since time immortal, it all boils down to one thing: The control of resources and how resources can be used to the benefit of humanity. Countries and companies – yes, even Triads such as my own and Yakuza groups such as Akira-san's – have risen and fallen thanks to that very question." He gazed on Tariko and Negako, then back to her. "A little over a week ago, your family made all the reasons such conflict has occurred since the dawn of civilisation completely meaningless. If what you project will happen DOES happen, all questions of resource supply will be effectively eliminated. Our population problems would also be rendered meaningless. The final shackles holding humanity to just this world were snapped and we're about to take a giant leap into the future."

A nod. "I never considered that at first, to be honest with you," Hiromi then confessed. "All I was concerned about at the time I was finally freed of Onii-san's mind was to see to the safety of my family . . . and by extension my home town." A smile towards Negako. "I needed Onē-sama to show me how protecting my home town also meant protecting the planet as a whole. Tsukihana-kun and Ayami-chan helped there."

"The space battleships, you mean?" Tokai asked.

"Hai."

"But now, it's become much bigger," Yō stated. "We are now becoming real partners with an alien race that can _interbreed_ with us. I've heard of and experienced the powers Avalonians possess. I know it's possible for those powers to be passed on to Terrans, both via children and through blood DNA transfusions. That means we as a race will advance physically and mentally to a degree which will make the 'normal' population the literal equals of those magicals and metahumans who live amongst us."

"You mean people like Mie-san and her family?" Shinobu wondered.

"Indeed, Shinobu," Negako stated. "There have been magic-welders on Earth since the day of the first true civilisations thousands of years ago. Some – like Mie's family – live amongst normals in peace and harmony. Others tend to enclave themselves in isolated societies, masking themselves with magic and secrecy to ensure normal society will leave them be. Atop that, non-magical metahumans – or 'mutants' to borrow the term often used in North American graphic magazines – have also arisen from time to time since civilisation began, especially since around the time of World War Two. With growing scientific knowledge concerning the structure of human genetics, it will soon become possible for people to be literally transformed into metahumans. Diseases are being attacked via research every day of the year . . . and from that research, some of the most basic human weaknesses can be analysed and potentially defeated. Into that heady mixture, the Avalonians have now entered with the technology and scientific knowhow that went into the construction of the bioroid factory."

"Wow . . .!" Megane breathed out. "That's quite a mix!"

"Indeed it is," Yō then stated. "And while we all would welcome such an advance into the future both technologically and socially, there are those on this planet who will look upon it as the worst evil to ever befall humanity."

"But why?" Perm asked. "It's not the Avalonians' fault! They were treated as mere sex-slaves, for Heaven's sake! They wanted to be free!"

"Agreed. And that part is understood by all and effectively accepted by all," the leader of the 108 Dragons noted. "But think of this: If what the Men in Black are projecting will happen in the near future, humanity will find itself spreading over THIRTY planets other than Earth. What will that mean for those societies who have been closed for so long? North Korea, for example? What happens to the leadership in P'yŏng'yang if their 'workers and peasants' ultimately move to LEAVE their nation to seek out a place to give them food to eat and a safe place to live?" A pause. "I've heard that there are Avalonians who wish to move into that country but are holding off at this time because of the government's hard line there. What would happen if even ONE Avalonian goes into that country and begins to relay the news of what her sisters have brought to Earth? It would be a mass exodus from the land, even by the soldiers of the Korean People's Army. And to prevent that from happening . . . "

"The oppressors become even MORE oppressive."

People gazed on Sumiko. "This could happen in a number of ways," Hiromi then mused after considering that for a moment. "Religious fundamentalists would try to stop those of their 'flock' from accepting 'heretical' beliefs, thus unleashing a new wave of terrorism that would make what Master bin Lādin has unleashed since well before 9/11 look quite paltry in comparison. People who develop any form of xenophobia could arise and try to lash out against those mixed Terran-Avalonian couples to ensure hybrid children would never be born, just like what the Niphentaxians did to hybrid children born of Avalonian mothers over the last century. People who are homophobic in any sort of way would view the Avalonians – as they are racially bisexual – as a threat to their own worldviews and how they would view the proper structure of families."

"There are always people who won't like any type of change," Tariko mused.

"Indeed. Thus, it will – by default – fall unto those organisations such as ours and others like us worldwide to move in and help those who would be in need," Yō stated. "Thus – as I look at it in my position as leader of the Bǎibālóng-huì – it is in the best interests of my organisation to form a working link with leaders among the Avalonians to be better prepared for when those instances happen. I was able to convince certain ambassadors – those ladies who were slaves of long-time observers who had been on Earth for a decade and more outside Tomobiki – to seek out other such groups to elicit their interest. People like the Wisdom Alliance in Switzerland, descent from the original Illuminati who sought to use the wisdom of the thinkers of the Enlightenment to help better the world as a whole. People like _les Soldats_ in France, who originally stood on guard to protect normal society from the excesses of magic-welders even past the point where the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was passed in 1689 and most of those blessed with that power isolated themselves from their normal countrymen. Some of the more traditional Mafia organisations in Europe and America, of course. Business groups and scientific organisations pressing the limits on technology and beyond." A smile. "In effect, the cross-section of normal humanity."

"Which is what we ultimately serve here in Japan."

That was Negako. "So by coming to us . . .?" Hiromi mused.

"We are turning to an organisation that was one of the first to serve as 'silent angels' for the less fortunate in modern society . . . with the full blessings of the Son of Heaven in his position as this nation's head-of-state," Yō finished. "And that organisation is now involved in helping humanity made its biggest advance socially, culturally and technologically since the Industrial Revolution. People are already looking to you – because you were seen as the people who brought the Avalonians here even if it was truly their decision in the end to come our way – to help guide them as they come to better associate with their new countrywomen from the stars. Because of that – and while I understand why you would prefer a time of peace and quiet after the excitement the Oni's presence here unleashed, I'm afraid this is something you simply cannot avoid – you have to take a stance and show the way. You've already done that. All of you." He said as he gazed on the Moroboshi siblings' classmates. "You've welcome the Avalonians who've lived here in town amongst you as your new friends and neighbours. The next logical step should be to welcome Avalonians into Tomobiki High School beyond yourselves; while those in the know understand you are Avalonians . . . " – he gazed on Hiromi and then Tariko – " . . . everyone knows you're Terran at heart. Once that is done, allow things to develop naturally from there. The world will watch and learn. And from that, the vast majority of humanity will see that the 'angels of space' really mean them no harm and accept them in their hearts as well."

"Something to consider," Hiromi noted . . .

* * *

Paris, near the Place Denfert-Rochereau in the Quatorzième Arrondissement (local time: before breakfast) . . .

"Good morning, sleepy one. Coffee?"

The silver-haired man perked on hearing that cheerful voice, and then he bolted up to find a take-out cup of espresso hovering before his face. "Oh, God . . . " Rene Brefford moaned as he stretched himself. "Who on Earth let you in, Simone?"

The stunning blonde with the earth-brown eyes – Simone Flaubert had been, thanks to discrete DNA scans done by her former master, modelled right down to her DNA on a famous actress from the 1960s and 1970s; on finding out that she had a "sister" among the _Ángeles Espaciales_ who would be their spokeswoman to the government of the Republic, Brigitte Bardot had literally been tickled pink – smirked as she placed the coffee down on her host's desk. "Your housemaid let me in," she stated as she moved to sit down in the guest chair before his desk, and then sipped her tea. "I swear, if you're going to be like this from now on, Rene, I'll have several sisters created and woken to wait on you hand-and-foot." She winked at him, wagging a finger his way as he blushed. "After all, thousands of people – both in your company and in _les Soldats_ – are dependent on you keeping a clear head and staying in good health."

He blushed. "I stand chastised," he admitted before nodding his thanks and taking up the coffee. "So you got my e-mail, did you?"

"_Oui_. I assume there's an answer to what we discussed two days ago?"

He nodded. "We of the Soldiers of the Franci would consider it a great honour to join the alliance Master Yō proposed to Madame Qiāng." A sigh. "However . . . "

"You have a problem?"

A regretful nod. "_Oui_."

"Can we help you?"

Hearing that, Rene found himself blushing again. He had been taken totally aback two days ago when this near-double of a younger Brigitte Bardot had visited him at his favourite bistro near his office – in the very wake of her being officially welcomed as the Avalonians' ambassador to the French Republic by President Nicolas Sarkozy himself – introduced herself to him, then telepathically told him that she wished to give him in his capacity as one of the elders of _les Soldats_ an offer originating from one of the most dangerous assassins ever to live, the legendary _**Crying Freeman**_ himself! And while the offer itself was shocking, it was something that Rene – and his friends in the Council – felt they couldn't refuse. This went far beyond what _les Soldats_ had spent a millennium seeking to accomplish. Something that went worlds beyond shielding normals from the excesses of the realm of magic. Something that would let _les Soldats_ be part of a "grand alliance" that would help ensure _**nothing**_ would threaten the advancement of Terran and Avalonian to the stars and beyond.

While other people would have instantly doubted such an all-encompassing offer, Rene – even though he didn't have the empathy and telepathy that people like Simone were born with – _was_ a good reader of people. Simone's original offer – and even what she had offered to him now – was expressed with a simple, frank honesty that was positively breathtaking to experience. Still, it really shouldn't shock him. Given the sheer number of Avalonian-Frenchwomen who were now marching proudly into recruiting stations to bolster the ranks of the military to levels it hadn't seen since World War Two, such an attitude obviously _wasn't_ localised to one Simone Caroline Maria Flaubert.

"I hope you can, but I believe it will require the help of someone else amongst your kind," he then stated. "Specifically, the Earth Angel."

Simone blinked; Rene had explained to her at their first meeting what that term meant. "Thoughtmistress-prime Moroboshi? Why would she be required to assist?"

A sigh. "Ever since _les Soldats_ began in the days of the reign of the first _Imperator Romanorum_ since the final fall of Rome, we have maintained very tight rituals when it comes to the creation of a new generation of Noir. They are there for many reasons. Chief of those being to ensure that each pair of girls that become Noir receives the full blessings bestowed on them by the Archangel Michael as the Maidens of Death." A sigh. "But over the years – especially in recent times – there has been a grave deviation in the way the 'saplings' (as those we consider worthy of being Noir are called) are selected and tested before performing the last ceremony to finally earn the Archangel's Blessings." Another sigh. "Altena Romée, the High Priestess of the Archangel at the Manor near the Pic de Néouvielle, has gone out of her way this time to ensure all three of the saplings chosen for this generation's Noir will get as much experience as possible from across the world. At a considerably tragic price."

"A rather large number of assassinations, I take it?"

A nod; deep down, Rene was happy that Simone didn't seek to judge him or his organisation for being involved in that, even by proxy. "_Oui_. Fortunately, whenever things have drifted too close to an organisation which could cause us many problems – the 108 Dragons, for example – we have been able to warn people in time to prevent an underground war from starting. Atop that, we on the Council have to keep in mind the original mission of our group: To protect normals from the excesses and outrages of the magical world." Rene blinked. "Have you people been able to make contact with magicals? Say the International Confederation of Wizards via the Men in Black?"

"We have made acquaintances with the various magical leaders in more 'advanced' countries such as those in the Americas, Australasia, eastern and southern Asia and Africa. We've left Europe alone for the time being due to the considerable isolation members of the local communities are forced to endure from their 'muggle' cousins." Simone made finger-quotes on using the popular British wizarding nickname for normal humans. As Rene chuckled, she added, "But we are aware of their existence and where those enclaves exactly are. Due to the considerable influence of the _Te'a_ onto magic, it is well within the realm of possibility that – over time – magicals born of Avalonian blood will appear." She sipped her tea. "Be assured, we will NOT tolerate any of the bigotry many of the English wizards show first-generation magical users."

Rene smirked. Before the Avalonians came, technology on Earth was somewhat short in certain areas from overwhelming the ancient magic that had been used to enforce the Statute of Wizarding Secrecy when it went into effect near the end of the seventeenth century. During his initial conversation with Simone, the Avalonian ambassador to the Republic had shown him detailed scans taken of places such as the Beauxbâtons Academy of Magic near Avignon as well as other known magical enclaves in the larger cities of France such as Paris. THAT had impressed him a lot . . . and relieved him as well. While magical France had pretty much shaken off her medieval past thanks to the Grindelwald War that occurred around the same time World War Two was being fought by the normals, there was still the prejudice shown to first-generation magical users as well as hybrids with other magical species like Beauxbâtons headmistress Olympe Maxime (a part-giant) and the school's Triwizard Tournament champion Fleur Delacour (a quarter-Veela). Given what had happened in Britain during the first and second Blood Wars instigated by the late Lord Voldemort . . .!

"You may wish to warn your counterpart in London about this," he then stated. "Given the sheer breadth and depth of Avalonian psychic powers, the English wizards may classify you as 'dark creatures' and try to remove you under their various magical animal control laws. Given how many Avalonian-Britons are there . . . "

"Well, a Magical Royal Proclamation will put a stop to that."

Rene blinked, and then his eyes widened. "Oh, yes . . . " he breathed out. "Has Her Majesty consented to the idea of making such a proclamation?"

"Not yet, but Alice states that the Queen will be speaking to Minister Shacklebolt about this sometime in the near future," she assured him.

"Wonderful!"

"So what is happening with the current Noir candidates?"

He reached into his desk to draw out three files. "These are the women seen as the best candidates: Mireille Bouquet, Yūmura Kirika and Chloe Fiori . . . "

* * *

England, Little Whinging in Surrey (west-southwest of London), that moment . . .

"You were accepted?"

"Of course I was!" Lucy O'Neill stated as she walked into Number 5 Privet Drive, holding up the file of papers marking her as the newest member to join A Company of the 3rd Battalion, The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires), which was based in Camberley, just off the M3 motorway twelve kilometres from Little Whinging. "I'll take the official oath to Her Majesty on Tuesday next, and then start basic training the following week." She then smirked. "Everyone else was being brought it as well. Soon, A Company is probably going to go back to what it was called before 1959."

"The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)," her bond-mate, Shelley Carter, said with a grin as she opened her arms to allow Lucy to hug her. "Maybe even . . . "

"Make it a multiple-battalion unit," Lucy said before they kissed. "Ran into a veteran of the old Royal Regiment at the armouries last night." Lucy had remained with some of her friends who had joined 3 PWRR in Camberley overnight before coming back to Little Whinging; the party hosted by one of them had ran too late and she wasn't interested in hiking back to her new home. "He said he'd never seen so many people march in to volunteer for the Territorial Army since World War Two."

"And he wasn't bothered by all the volunteers being women?"

"Amazingly, no."

Both laughed, and then they kissed. Lucy and Shelley were two of nearly six million Avalonians who had chosen the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland as their new home over the last couple of weeks. Shelley – who had once worked as an administrative assistant on Phentax Twelve – had been hired right away by the Home Office to help administer the massive influx of alien women who had come seeking freedom and new lives for themselves in Great Britain. Lucy – who had been a maidservant on Phentax Twelve in the same village where Shelley's master used to live – would be the stay-at-home spouse in this relationship, but she wasn't going to sit on her butt while her mate worked long hours at the Surrey county hall in Guildford. Of course, since there were now so many fresh bodies to be put into uniform, many other stay-at-home mates had thought of the same thing and began flocking recruiting centres for all parts of the British armed forces within days of the bioroid factory's arrive in the system.

"So what do you want for breakfast?" Lucy then asked as she parted from her mate, and then headed into the kitchen. Placing the file with her admission papers down on the table there, she then slipped off her jacket before putting on an apron.

"Oh, something light," Shelley stated; she was still in pyjamas. "We got the majority of all the refugee applications filled out and filed for everyone living in Surrey yesterday afternoon, so it'll be an easy day at the office."

"All right."

As Shelley headed upstairs to shower and dress, Lucy moved to prepare a standard English breakfast for herself and her mate. As she worked, the tall and shapely redhead with the deep green eyes blinked as her senses picked up a twitch of pain and depression emanate from across the street at Number Four. Sighing, she relaxed herself as she forced her mind away from focusing on that. Much that she – like all of her race – detested any form of child abuse, the fact that she was a newcomer to Britain would work against her calling the police and Child Protection Services in to examine what was going on with the Dursley family across the street. What she had sensed with her mind could not be presented as evidence in a court of law – according to one of Shelley's friends, British laws would take YEARS to evolve enough to fully encompass what Avalonians could do – and while the population of Little Whinging was currently about half-Terran and half-Avalonian thanks to job layoffs forcing the older residents to move to different parts of the country or abroad to seek new work, the Terran families in town seemed to be solidly behind the Dursleys of 4 Privet Drive. Supposedly, a cousin of the family had once lived there and he had been sent to a place called Saint Brutus' School for his delinquency . . .

A meow echoed from the living room. Lucy blinked, and then she sighed. "You again!" she said as she walked out of the kitchen to see a long-haired cat with spotted fur, a plumed tail like a lion's and rather large ears sitting on the table. "How in Lyna's name did you get into this house in the first place?" she demanded.

"Is he back?" Shelley called down from upstairs.

"Yes! I think we should adopt this one if he keeps coming here!" Lucy mused as she walked over to offer her hand to the beautiful feline visitor.

The cat meowed as he leaned over to sniff the offered limb, and then he started to purr as he moved to rub his head against it. On that contact, Lucy then gasped as her mind picked up something akin to human speech emanating from the small feline: _. . . oh, so much like a witch, this strange human with the lava smell . . ._

Lucy blinked, and then she concentrated. «Hello! Can you hear me?»

The cat suddenly screeched as he then arched up, his head snapping to and fro as he tried to locate the source of the sound that had just echoed in his head. _Threat! Someone's here to hurt the strange humans! Where? Where? Rrrrrrrrrrr . . .!_

Lucy giggled. «That was me, by the way.»

The cat then blinked, and then he turned to gaze up at the smiling Avalonian. _You can do Legilimency! You have animal-speak! Are you a witch?_

She blinked as Shelley came down, dressed in her normal business suit. «No, I'm actually an alien from another world. We call ourselves 'Avalonians' as a whole. As is my mate here,» Lucy replied as her mate came up to hold her hand, thus allowing her mind to link into the conversation. «Say hello to our magical friend, Shelley-vayae.»

«Hello, little one,» Shelley thought out, making the cat's eyes go wide in shock. «May we have the pleasure of knowing such a handsome sentient's name?»

If the cat could smile in pride, he would. _The witch without magic who raised me since I was a kitten calls me Tufty. I am known as a 'kneazle' amongst witches and wizards. And I know you two call yourselves 'Lucy Diana O'Neill' and 'Shelley Helena Carter.' Yet . . .?_ The kneazle tilted his head. _If you are aliens . . .?_

«Why do we have Earth names?» Lucy asked. «It's because the people who saw to our creation were fascinated with Earth culture and history. The men whom Shelley and I once called 'master' were quite entranced by all the tales of Britain and Ireland. Hence, when we were templated and awoken, we were programmed to be English-speakers. I from Ireland and Shelley here from England.» She nodded to her raven-haired, brown-eyed bond-mate. «So it was natural for us to come to Britain when we were freed by the Great Liberator and the one magicals and mystics on Earth call the Earth Angel.»

Tufty's eyes widened even more. _The Earth Angel?_ He then hummed. _Yes, many magical beings did sense that the Sacred Promise of the Fifth Year of Bunka had been fulfilled. She lives in the Land of the Wa, does she not?_

"'Land of the Wa?'" Shelley verbally asked.

"No doubt, an old name for Japan," Lucy noted, and then she reached up to gently scratch the back of Tufty's head, which made the kneazle purr.

_Oooooh, that feels so GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD . . .!_ he meowed.

A knock then echoed at the door. "I'll get it," Shelley said as she walked over to open it, and then she blinked. "Good morning. Can I help you?"

"I'm sorry to bother you, but I'm looking for one of my cats," the elderly woman standing at the front steps then stated, holding out a picture of Tufty.

Shelley blinked. "You're a 'witch without magic,' right?"

Arabella Figg gasped in shock on hearing that, and then she laughed. "Oh, my Heavens! Where on Earth did you get that sort of silly idea . . .?"

Shelley smiled. "The Statute of Wizarding Secrecy, unanimously adopted by all nations on Earth at the time in 1689," she said as the elderly woman stopped to stare in wide-eyed shock at the young Avalonian-Briton. "Said Statute was acknowledged as being legally binding on the subjects of Their Majesties, King William III and Queen Mary II, three years later when the Separation Act was passed by the Wizengamot of the United Kingdoms of England, Scotland and Ireland, then royally approved by the Magical Royal Proclamation which was granted that year by Their Majesties."

"You're a witch?" Mrs. Figg demanded, keeping her voice down in case anyone overheard them.

A shake of the head. "No, I'm an Avalonian. And Master Tufty is right here," she said as she beckoned the visiting squib inside, waving into the living room.

Mrs. Figg walked inside, and then she turned to gaze on one of her pet kneazles being petted now by a very beautiful – almost TOO beautiful! – red-haired woman with green eyes, dressed in a business suit without her jacket and an apron draped over her. "You're . . .?" she began before gaping. "Oh, my! You're two of the Space Angels?"

"We've been called that," Lucy stated. "Now, Master Tufty, would you mind telling us why you like to come into our house like you did today?"

Tufty moaned. _I like it here! You smell nice! Your mate smells nice, too! And the poor witch kitten that lives across the street is being hurt by the muggles! Someone has to keep an eye out for the poor kitten! Why not me?_

Lucy blinked. Watching this, Mrs. Figg gaped. "Are you reading his mind?"

"Of course. Your kneazles are sentient beings and we can mind-meld with almost any known sentient being in the galaxy," Shelley stated. "What did he say?"

"There's a child witch in Number 4 . . . and she's being abused," Lucy stated.

Mrs. Figg moaned. "Oh, dear! I knew those Dursleys were . . .!"

It hit her.

"WAIT! The child's a WITCH?"

"That's what Master Tufty said," Lucy affirmed.

The elderly squib blinked, and then the strength in her legs began to go. "Oh, Merlin, no . . . not again! Please, not again . . .!" she sobbed.

Shelley was there to catch her before she fainted. Helping the moaning woman to a couch, she then reached up to her face to do a quick mind-probe. A moment later, she nodded. "Turns out this isn't the first time the Dursleys have had a young magical in their care," she said as she looked at Lucy. "Petunia's nephew was placed in their charge after his parents were killed by Thoughtmaster-prime Tom Riddle back in 1981."

"So her granddaughter Maggie . . .?"

"Is a maturing witch," Shelley stated.

"Can we summon the magical authorities in this case?"

"Y-y-yes . . . "

That was Mrs. Figg, who had found herself immediately recovering after having the odd sensation of all her memories being re-played by some outside force, which she was quick to assume was Shelley's touch-telepathy. "How can we do that?" Lucy then asked. "The magicals of your land are isolated in their own communities, blocked off quite thoroughly from access by the normals . . . "

The elderly squib smiled. "All I need is your fireplace," she said as she got up, walking over to the beautiful fireplace that was at one end of the living room. "We use a system called the 'Floo' to communicate with each other through fireplaces. It's sort of like a wormhole in space, but powered by magic," she explained as she pulled out a vial of green powder. "Once I open up the link here, I can call directly to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement, which are our people's law enforcement group. The Aurors could then apparate . . . " – she caught herself, thanking the Fates again that she had been so entranced by _Doctor Who_ since it first appeared in the 1960s that she could equate all sorts of magical things to their "muggle" counterparts in science fiction – " . . . pardon me, teleport . . .!" she amended as she scattered some of the Floo powder into the fireplace. " . . . here right away." With the powder in place, she struck a match and lit it up before calling out, "DIRECTOR POTTER!"

As the vibrant green flames flared, a face then appeared. "Mrs. Figg?"

"Sorry to bother you, Harry, but we have a problem with your relatives here on Privet Drive!" the squib then stated. "There's a magical child – Dudley's daughter Margaret – now living at Number Four. She's been abused and two of the Avalonians now living in Little Whinging at Number 5 know about it. Could you come here to help out, please?"

A sigh from the image. "I'll be right there."

The flames then died down . . .

. . . as a curious _pop!_ echoed through the living room, making Shelley snap around to aim her Lawgiver – Avalonians in government work had been granted the right to carry arms in self-defence against possible xenophobes by the Home Office with the full support of the various police agencies across the United Kingdom – right into the face of the Man-Who-Won. "HEY!" Harry Potter gasped, surprised to see the business end of a VERY BIG pistol now inches from his face. As Shelley stared at him for a second before she blushed as she lowered her weapon, he then chuckled. "Sorry about that . . . "

"Don't apologise . . . " Shelley then blinked. "Wait! You're Harry Potter?"

Harry blinked, and then he sighed as the Avalonians were quick to sense a tsunami of emotional fatigue – no doubt from all the near-abuse he had received from his countrymen thanks to the incredible incidents of magic that had affected his life since shortly after his birth – flood their visitor's heart. "I am . . . "

Shelley smiled at him as she holstered her weapon. "Shelley Carter, Home Office, Special Protected Persons Bureau, Surrey Team," she then said as she held out her hand, which he took to give her a courtly kiss. "A pleasure to meet you, Director Potter. Welcome to our home. I take it the Dursleys are your relatives?"

"I wouldn't admit it," Harry stated.

"Don't blame you," Lucy noted as Mrs. Figg laughed . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) Ankoku Futagoko was first introduced in _The Senior Year_ story "Darling's Other Girlfriend."

2) Translations: **Qīnglóng** – Blue Dragon; **Shinobi** – Another term for a ninjutsu-ka; **Oyabun** – "Foster father," the top leader of a Yakuza organisation; **Quatorzième Arrondissement** – Fourteen Municipal District; **Ángeles Espaciales** – French for "space angels;" **Franci** – Latin term for the **Franks**, the post-Roman Empire group of Germanic tribes that settled into modern-day France; **Imperator Romanorum** – Emperor of the Romans, the title bestowed on **Charlemange** (742-814) in 800 C.E. by Pope **Leo III** (750-816); **Vayae** – Sagussan for "My Darling" or "My Beloved" (the usual suffix honorific to imply closeness).

3) The concept of _les Soldats_ being a group that made war against dark wizards – and came up with the process to create Noir to fight such beings – was first introduced in the storyline _Harry Potter-Bouquet_ in the Anime Addventure, written mostly by the author calling himself **Bastet's Chosen**. As of 24 June 2005, a total of 54 episodes have been written into this storyline. I later borrowed the concept in my own Addventure storyline _Coupled Union - Wild Endurance_. In that storyline, I also created the family name for people like Chloe.

4) As I stated in the _Phoenix From the Ashes_ side-story _Wizards and Avalonians_, the history of the _Harry Potter_ characters is set in the same timeline Mrs. Rowling set in her novels; 2010 is twelve years after the Battle of Hogwarts, which was depicted in the final chapters of _Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows_.

5) As I have done in my own _Harry Potter_ fanfiction stories, I place the town of **Little Whinging** northwest of the interchange between the M3 (the motorway connecting London to Southampton) and the M25 (the London Orbital Motorway) beside Longside Lake near the village of Virginia Water in the **Borough of Runnymede**.

6) **The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment (Queen's and Royal Hampshires)** (short-formed as **PWRR**) is the senior-ranking non-Guards infantry unit of the British Army. It was formed in 1992 from the amalgamation of **The Queen's Regiment** and **The Royal Hampshire Regiment**. The Queen's Regiment was formed in 1966 from the amalgamation of four infantry regiments scattered across the Home Counties of England: **The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment** representing Surrey County, **The Queen's Own Buffs, The Royal Kent Regiment** representing Kent County, **The Royal Sussex Regiment** representing both East and West Sussex, and **The Middlesex Regiment (Duke of Cambridge's Own)** representing the former county of Middlesex (now part of Greater London). The Queen's Royal Surrey Regiment itself was formed in 1959 from the amalgamation of two separate infantry regiments based within the old boundaries of Surrey County: **The Queen's Royal Regiment (West Surrey)** and **The East Surrey Regiment**. A Company of the 3rd Battalion of the PWRR is, in effect, the last living remnant of the original Queen's Royal Regiment, which is descent from one of the original infantry regiments founded by the government of King Charles II after the Restoration of 1660.


	24. The Guardian Tōshi of the Garden

Tomobiki High School, after last class . . .

"My head . . . hurts!"

People blinked before they gazed on Ataru. "I cannot blame you for feeling that way, Onii-san," Hiromi mused as she continued to sweep up the floor, guiding the dust and dirt into a pan being held by Chigaiko. "I thought pretty much the same way when it came to rescuing everyone from Phentax Twelve. Just do it and let them finally gain the chance to live lives like they've always deserved to live them. I never thought that their coming here to Earth would cause such complex problems for all of _**us**_!"

"Well, the vast majority of people on Earth agree that their coming here was a good thing. According to NHK, CNN and the BBC," Shinobu noted as she helped Tariko move desks around so Hiromi and Ataru could sweep up there. "They brought trillions of dollars worth of rare metals and coins with them, plus who knows how much in the way of intellectual goods that companies here on Earth can immediately exploit. Their injecting that into the local economies will help pay off public debt and help provoke job creation, which is always a good thing to do, especially in those parts of the planet where jobs were lost thanks to manufacturers moving to cheaper places to produce."

"I noticed that," Tachiko noted as she wiped down desks with a cleaning rag and some wood polish. "I've been scanning through various pages on Facebook to visit groups being formed by our sisters both here and overseas. Avalonians in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador, for example, are organising massive fish farms to help replenish the Atlantic cod stocks that were wiped out in the 1990s. They're hopefully going to introduce enough fish in the next few years to help that species retake their position as one of the apex predators in the North Atlantic so the populations of their former prey like herring, shrimp and snow crab can be controlled."

"Is that happening here, too?" Ryūnosuke asked.

A nod. "Well, we don't have many problems with fish stocks we bring here to Japan, but the anchovy is going to be reintroduced to the waters of the Pacific off South America and the Dover sole will be brought back to the Irish Sea. Some deep sea fish stocks like the deep sea perch and sablefish will be looked at as well."

"Wow!" Rumiko breathed out. "It's hard to believe."

"Believe what, Rumiko?" Tariko asked.

"How much the Niphentaxians were shooting themselves in the foot by allowing the Avalonians to do all the things they're doing for us now," the class' smartest student explained. "I've looked into those groups on Facebook, too. All the Avalonians working on fish-replenishment projects were once helpers that make sure the fish and other seafood stocks on Phentax Two and other planets were well-maintained. All the people who are volunteering to build colony ships for when we get the new colony planets were all shipyard workers for the Niphentaxian Navy. The people helping reclaim forests across the planet were former foresters that worked on every planet the Niphentaxians settled. All the information technology experts being scooped up by all the cell phone and computer makers were technicians supporting the government and all the government departments on Phentax Two to keep the population in line. Everyone else . . . " A shake of the head. "Stupid people!" she spat, and then she shrugged as she moved to mop down the areas Hiromi had swept up. "Well, their loss is our gain."

"That is true, Rumiko-san," Hiromi stated, and then she sighed. "Well, let us not worry anymore about the 'what-could-have-beens.' The future is ahead of us and we have to face it all." She then perked before looking outside the window. "Ah . . .!"

"What?" Shinobu asked, and then she looked. "Oh, Mie-san's back!"

Soon enough, the Sagussan navy fighter pilot-turned-master sorceress was walking into Class 1-4. "What's with the blankets outside?" she then asked, thumbing out the windows towards the front lawn, where people from other classes were busy cleaning up what was left of the afternoon picnic that had been hosted here. "You had guests?"

"Hai," Hiromi stated. "Part of the price being the leader of the Tenchiaiki Jūkazoku forces me to pay. It won't affect my bringing you aboard _Haida_ tonight, but I believe some people may wish to accompany us aboard this evening."

Mie nodded. "Fair enough. By the way, you better look in on your mom when you get home after school. As soon as your sisters identified me as a Sagussan, she blew a gasket and tried to attack me, blaming me for turning Ataru-chan against her." A shake of her head as people there moaned. "I had to put her down fast and hard."

"No permanent damage, I hope."

A shake of the head. "She wasn't worth it. It's so pathetic, it's not funny."

A sigh. "Well, she'll feel the squeeze tomorrow."

"Why tomorrow?" Megane asked.

"Onē-sama will go down to the Hinata-sō, a very lovely apartment complex in the city of the same name west of Yokosuka in Kanagawa," Hiromi explained. "She will enter negotiations with Urashima Keitarō-san concerning the renting of rooms there for myself, Onē-san and Onii-san so we can finish our years of high school in peace."

Silence.

More silence.

Still more silence.

And then . . .

"_**You're leaving?**_" a wide-eyed Shinobu gasped.

Hiromi sighed. "Shinobu-san, it is not because of you or anyone else in the class that forces us to consider this," she stated as she gazed on her brother's former girlfriend, a sad smile crossing her face. "But ever since we came back to Earth, Okā-san has not stopped when it comes to her trying to verbally put down Onii-san every time something peculiar has happened. It has come to the point where she automatically turns around and blames Onii-san for times I feel depressed about something, such as when I met Hodo Amanezuke-san in the Chōshi Hospital some days ago. What is worse, Otō-san refuses to lift a finger to do something about it. As a matter of fact, he actually tries to make us stop upbraiding Okā-san for her behaviour just to ensure Okā-san remains happy and doesn't nag him as she has done in the past." A sigh. "We try to accept that she is still grieving over our lost brother, but she doesn't show any indications that she wishes to change her behaviour. Something has to give."

Shinobu blinked, and then she sighed. "That stupid woman . . . "

"Your only real option would be to kill the bitch," Chigaiko stated.

Some of the people in the class winced. "That's harsh," Tachiko noted.

"So's saying 'I wish I never had you' multiple times to the face of your only son, Tachiko-san," the former basketball team player stated. "If the idiot can't wake up to the fact that her words hurt her son as much as Hensō's lightning once did, then she's going to have to suffer for it." She then smirked as something then came to her. "And I know what to do about that," she said as she drew out her cell phone.

She flipped it open and began sending out a text message . . .

* * *

Negako's office . . .

"Thank you so much for your great courtesy, Negako-sama."

Negako nodded her head. "It was not difficult," she stated as she gazed on the ancient Chinese triad leader now seated beside her desk. "I assumed it is actually Qiāndé currently at the Keiō Plaza Hotel in Shinjuku with his brother's subordinates."

Chén Shìzhě's eyes went wide. "Incredible! I thought only Saeba-sama possessed such analytical skills," he breathed out before catching himself, and then he chuckled. "Then again, you ARE the true daughter of the Immortal Master, Negako-sama. There was nothing on Earth that could either hurt or surprise Master Hosan in the long term."

She smiled. "Yes, Hirosuke was like that, was he not?" She sighed. "So, tell me, Shìzhě: When exactly will Jiānqiáng come here to look in on his child?"

"He will arrive privately within the day; I was not informed of the exact time he will fly into Narita Airport," he answered. "Likely, he will proceed to Shinjuku to seek out the assistance of Saeba-sama to track down poor Lady Xiāngyíng."

"And his plans for Xiāngyíng afterward?"

A sigh. "He cannot reveal his relationship to her, Negako-sama," Chén then confessed as he gazed sadly upon his host. "Master Lǐ feels that the Lady Xiāngyíng has suffered more than enough because of her relationship to him."

Negako nodded. "So what would he desire to have happen to her?"

Chén breathed out. "If it is possible, could you convince Saeba-sama to take her in as his new partner? I am aware that he has pretty much retired due to the tragic death of his wife, but he is still quite healthy and strong. He could teach her many things about what life beyond servicing the Zhèngdào-huì is like. Despite the sheer amount of good Glass Heart has done for the Society, Master Lǐ certainly NEVER wanted his only child to endure what he endured when he was creating his empire."

A nod. "I can understand that. I will proceed to Shinjuku today to speak with Ryō directly about this. I believe he could be persuaded to go along with it."

"Your assistance is truly welcome, Negako-sama."

"But what of Zhāng Hēishé?"

Silence.

"Zhāng . . .?" Chén asked. "What of him?"

"Futagoko reported she sensed he was planning something dire and it was directly focused on Qiāndé. Of course, Hēishé believes him to actually be Jiānqiáng. She fears he may attempt a _coup de famille_ in hopes of eliminating Jiānqiáng so he can seize overall control of the Zhèngdào-huì. What is Hēishé's status in the Zhèngdào-huì?"

Chén shuddered. "That TRAITOR . . .!"

"Is he capable of launching such an internal rebellion?"

He blinked, and then nodded. "Yes. He leads the Qīnglóng Unit, our special action team that is used to deal with open threats which does not require the stealth and pinpoint accuracy one of the Zhūquè Unit like the Lady Xiāngyíng can provide . . . much less the slow but steady overwhelming power that the Xuánwǔ Unit can provide at the direct command of Master Lǐ." His eyes then widened more. "Ye gods . . . "

"Can he succeed at such a task?" she wondered.

A sigh. "Regretfully, he could, Negako-sama. There are other former members of the Zhūquè Unit working under him as part of the Qīnglóng Unit. One of them, so I know, was Liú Xìnhóng. When they were growing up as part of the Zhūquè Unit, the Lady Xiāngyíng was Number 27 in the group while the Young Master Xìnhóng was . . . "

A cell phone sounded off. Negako slipped her hand into her pocket to pull out her machine and open it up. Scanning the text message there, she then hummed. "Well, well, well," she said. "It appears Xìnhóng is actually in Shinjuku. Atop the roof of the Shinjuku Sumitomo Building currently. Which gives him a perfect view of the group of rooms and meeting halls Qiāndé rented. With a silenced sniper rifle . . . "

Chén's eyes widened. "No . . .!"

* * *

Shinjuku, the Keiō Plaza Hotel, that moment . . .

"You had Chén MEET with Freeman?"

"Of course," Lǐ Qiāndé stated as he gazed on Zhāng Hēishé. Also present – having just rushed to this place from his own offices elsewhere in Shinjuku – was the local head of the Zhèngdào-huì's Japanese branch, Mochiyama Hideo. On meeting the fellow, the twin brother to the true head of the Zhèngdào-huì had dismissed him right off as a simpering coward who was overweight, fairly effeminate and wouldn't have lasted ten minutes in the wilds of Central America where Qiāndé had once been taken prisoner before he was rescued by Saeba Ryō years ago. "He already contacted me with an e-mail concerning the results of that meeting. With the Avalonians now coming to Earth, Master Lóng feels it wise to unite with other societies like ours to better help our new countrywomen from the stars to develop lives for themselves here on Earth. Not to mention the new colony worlds that we might obtain from the Seifukusu sometime in the near . . . "

"_**GET DOWN!**_"

Everyone in the room gasped . . .

. . . as a black blur slammed into Qiāndé's side, knocking him clear just as a bullet punched through the window he was standing beside. As Zhāng cried out in shock and agony as a geyser of blood exploded from his stomach, the black blur became Ankoku Futagoko. "_**GET DOWN, ALL OF YOU!**_" she screamed out to the others. "_**SNIPER!**_"

The others in the room hit the deck right then and there as the Kuromoroboshi slipped over to one side of the picture window, looking out to gaze towards the Sumitomo Building, which was a hundred metres to the northeast of the Keiō Plaza Hotel. Gazing at it for a moment, she then sighed. "Someone got him," she then declared.

"How can you tell?" one of the other men in the room asked.

"Ki signature. He's incredibly well-trained; most likely, he's ex-Zhūquè."

"Probably Number 33 . . . "

Futagoko gazed down on Qiāndé. "Who?"

"Liú Xìnhóng. That's his real name," he answered. "He was always there for Glass Heart during times she struggled in her training. She eventually spared his life in the final graduation exercise and he was sent to the Qīnglóng Unit . . . "

He then stopped before his eyes spun around to glare at the now-pale Zhāng Hēishé, who was currently curling in on himself as he moaned out in pain. As the stammering Mochiyama stared wide-eyed at the bleeding special operations chief of the Zhèngdào-huì and a pair of doctors – two of the men who had actually worked to restore the woman known to their organisation simply as "Glass Heart" back to life – moved to render first aid, the disguised twin brother of the true leader of the Zhèngdào-huì hissed out, "I see!" He then gazed at Futagoko. "Did you suspect this?"

"Hai, I did, Master Lǐ. His ki felt VERY off to me," she said apologetically.

A nod. "You have my thanks, young lady."

Silence.

"Gods! You mean that . . .?" Zhāng's chief assistant, Sū Yǒupéng, demanded before he drew out his pistol and aimed it at the other man. "You TRAITOR . . .!"

"_**STOP!**_"

The younger man jolted, and then he gazed on Qiāndé. "Master Lǐ . . .?"

"We will deal with this traitor in our own way and our own time," Qiāndé declared as he moved to get back to his feet, after waiting for Futagoko to scan the area around them to ensure it was safe. "In the meantime . . . "

"Excuse me."

Everyone gasped, and then they turned . . .

. . . as a set of footfalls heralded someone stepping out of a nearby bathroom. Futagoko turned to gaze on her . . . and then she relaxed herself, smiling in delight as she gazed in reassurance to the assembled men before her, which made them all relax as those who had drawn sidearms holstered them. Slung over the left shoulder of the silver-haired tomboy with the hawk-like brown eyes and the curious compass-point tattoo on her right cheek who had just walked in was an unconscious young man dressed in the dark green battle uniform of a member of the Qīnglóng Unit. In the woman's free hand was a rifle, one the assembled members of the Zhèngdào-huì recognised as a Heckler & Koch PSG1, the standard issue sniper weapon of the Republic of China Army . . . and of both the Zhūquè Unit and the the Qīnglóng Unit of the Zhèngdào-huì. Seeing that, a shuddering Sū snarled as he swung his pistol at the unconscious sniper's head. "TRAITOR . . .!"

"_**ENOUGH, I SAID!**_"

Silence.

"Master Lǐ . . .?" Sū sputtered.

"He is a simple soldier obeying orders," Qiāndé stated before he turned to gaze curiously at the newcomer. "And you are, young lady . . .?" he asked, noting that said woman was dressed in an urban camouflage-pattern combat suit in lieu of the basic black suit Futagoko was wearing. Clearly, whoever this was, she was not a Kuromoroboshi.

"Ebisu Kyoko of the Edo Oniwabanshū Ebisu-ryū," the newcomer announced herself before she walked over to flip the unconscious Liú Xìnhóng off her shoulder onto a handy couch, and then she handed the sniper rifle he had to one of the other men in the room. "I was quick to sense Futagoko-san's presence here and came over to see what was going on. A good thing I did; this fellow was about to make his escape." She then paused to gaze on the now-unconscious Zhāng; one of the doctors had injected a very powerful pain-killer into the man to make sure he didn't suffer . . . until it was time for him to REALLY suffer. "How ironic. The rebel leader, shot down by his own soldier." Shaking her head, she then gazed on Qiāndé. "Good evening, Master Lǐ."

And with that, she was gone. Silence fell over the scene, and then Sū turned to stare wide-eyed at Futagoko. "Gods . . . was she one of your people . . .?"

A shake of the head. "No. Kyoko-san is a tōshi; her battle-name is 'Koshaji' as she is the spiritual descendant of Master Hú Chē'ér, who once served under Master Zhāng Xiù. She is also of the Oniwabanshū, the former servants of the Tokugawa shōgun in the latter years of the _bakufu_ when they controlled the nation in the name of the Son of Heaven during the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries. We are traditional allies, though we never sent out a request for Kyoko-san to come out to assist."

"A _dòushì_ . . .!" Sū breathed out. "They're said to be all insane . . . "

"Do not be so quick to judge, Master Sū."

Hearing that chilling voice, he turned to gaze into Futagoko's dark eyes.

"Our _matriarch_ is also a tōshi," she icily said before vanishing.

Everyone remaining behind could only blink . . .

* * *

At a certain café to the west of the Keiō Park Hotel, an hour later . . .

"_**HE WANTS ME TO **_**WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT . . .**_**?**_"

"To take care of his daughter as if she was your own."

Silence fell as a wide-eyed Saeba Ryō stared in disbelief at Negako; the ninjutsu grandmaster had delivered Chén Shìzhě right to the Tochōmae subway stop to the north of the Keiō Park Hotel straight from Tomobiki, then proceeded to the Cat's Eye Café to speak to the retired sweeper. Also present in the Cat's Eye at the time was Ryō's enemy-turned-friend Ijūin Hayato, also known as either "Falcon" or "Umibōzu," who had been forced to retire from field work a couple years ago thanks to his eyesight having disintegrated to the point where he could barely make anything out even in broad daylight. The giant ex-mercenary – now effectively forced to run the Cat's Eye alone after the death of his wife, the former Koyama Miki, in a botched robbery shortly after he had retired from the streets; his other co-worker Asō Kasumi, who had once possessed a deep crush on Ryō and had worked at the Cat's Eye in hopes of turning the sweeper away from his future wife, had gone off to pursue a career in public service as a member of the Public Security Intelligence Agency – was standing behind the counter, preparing the herbal tea the ninjutsu grandmaster had requested when she had come in. "I fail to see what sort of problem this would present you, Ryō," Negako stated as she gazed on him.

"What are you talking about, Negako-chan?" Ryō protested as he glared at her. "I've no time to babysit some tomboy girl to make her feel normal! She's got a father, uncle and friends back in Taiwan that can take care of her! Okay, she has Kaori's heart in her chest, but what would make ME the right sort of person to raise her?"

"I have to wonder about that myself," Umibōzu stated.

Negako was not fazed. "So you wish a lovely girl to die, Ryō?"

Silence.

"W-w-well . . . " Ryō sputtered.

The grandmaster smiled as she drew out a photo. "Look for yourself."

Ryō took it . . . and then he gargled on seeing the lovely girl depicted there. "Oh, _mokkori_ face . . .!" he moaned before he stopped and then he gazed at Negako. "She's only fifteen?" he demanded as he pointed down at the picture.

"Hai."

Ryō gazed again at the picture, starting directly into the marksmen's eyes of one Lǐ Xiāngyíng. "Raised since she was a baby to be an assassin, eh . . .?"

"Hai," Negako answered before nodding thanks as Umibōzu placed a cup of tea down before her. She then took it and sipped from it . . . before stopping.

The giant fighter instantly perked; even if he was effectively blind, all his other senses were as sharp as ever and his own ki-sense – the "smell" that those such as he could pick up from others in the same or similar trades – had sensed Negako's hesitation. "Something wrong, Negako-san?" he asked as he "looked" in her direction.

She blinked before sighing. "Do not blame yourself, Hayato. It appears that I have become addicted to Noukiite chilli pepper powder in my tea."

More silence.

"'_**CHILLI PEPPER POWDER?**_'" both Ryō and Umibōzu exclaimed . . .

. . . as the front door opened. "Konnichi wa, Negako-sama."

"Irasshaimase!" Umibōzu automatically called out.

Negako blinked. "Kyoko. Your assistance was most appreciated."

"Arigatō," Ebisu Kyoko stated as she made her way to sit down beside Negako, keeping the grandmaster between her and Ryō; even though she was only a first-year high school student at the Yoshū Academy in Utsunomiya, she knew Cityhunter's reputation for hitting on girls and didn't want to take a chance with him. She was still in her urban camouflage clothing, though she had slipped back on the silver magatama marking her as an A-rank tōshi – one of a dozen currently attending that school – onto her earlobe. "Xìnhóng-san was made to actually shoot his own immediate superior in the Qīnglóng Unit in lieu of Master Lǐ. Or rather, Master Lǐ's twin brother; I noticed the difference. I believe things will quiet down in Shinjuku now . . . until Xiāngyíng-san herself gets here."

"Have you sensed her? I am unfamiliar with her."

"I have tracked her several times when she has come into the country to carry out missions for her superiors. Excellent practice for the future when I'm properly employed in government," Kyoko stated, and then she frowned. "Until she finally hit the wall and tried to kill herself," she added in a quiet voice. "I believe she's in country – I heard what happened down in Taiwan – but she hasn't come close to . . . "

She then paused as her eyes narrowed. "You sense her?" Negako asked.

"Hai! She's at the intersection of the Shinjuku-dōri and the Gaiennishi-dōri near the Yotsuya Branch Offices," Kyoko stated. "I can bring her here."

"Do so."

"Hai. Usual please, Hayato-san!"

"Hai, Kyoko-chan!" Umibōzu said as Kyoko sprinted out of the Cat's Eye.

"Will Xiāngyíng be a problem for her?" Ryō asked.

"No," Negako stated. "Kaori was saved once by Kyoko in an incident when Kyoko came to discover and fully embrace the martial arts inheritance she gained from her past-self; Kaori never told you of that incident, Ryō. Do not be concerned." She turned back to her tea and sipped it. "If Xiāngyíng does fight her, the elements of Kaori's spirit within her heart will stop her from causing problems."

Ryō nodded. "What's this all about?" Umibōzu asked.

"In a way, Hayato, Kaori lives," Negako stated.

The giant fighter blinked . . .

* * *

Over a kilometre to the east . . .

"Come on! What the hell are you doing?"

"Get out of the way!"

"Get out of the way!"

"What the hell are you doing?"

For the woman standing in the middle of the intersection – with traffic backing up in five separate directions from where she now stood – the noise was not relevant.

The people were not relevant.

Only the memories.

And _her_ voice . . .

"This is where . . . I . . . died . . . "

As a sudden gust from the west caught the baseball cap she was wearing and yanked it off her head of shoulder-length dark brown hair, the woman known to her controllers back in Taiwan simply as "Glass Heart" could only gaze on the asphalt at her feet. She had glanced over to one of the guard rails on a corner, which had a dented frame; the only physical sigh of where – a year before – a truck had careened into it after striking down a young woman who had managed to push a child clear of danger before he could be run down. As the honking of dozens of cars, motorcycles and other vehicles echoed all around her, the deadliest assassin born of the Zhūquè Unit of the Zhèngdào-huì could only find herself sinking deeper into the memories of another.

"Hey! What's wrong with you?"

A person whom she had never met before . . .

. . . but she knew almost as intricately as she had known herself.

"I . . . died . . . here . . . "

"Where the fuck do you think you're standing, idiot?"

The assassin perked on hearing that impatient voice.

"You're in the way!"

That statement made her perk.

_Why . . . am I standing here . . .?_

_Why . . . am I thinking about something like this . . .?_

_How could I have died?_

_I'm . . . alive!_

"Hey! You listening?"

The assassin tensed as footsteps heralded the approach of two men.

"You little . . .!" one of them snarled out. "Look here!"

She glanced over to see two men – both clearly Yakuza thugs from one of the local gangs – coming to stand next to her. "You want to get hurt or something?" the taller of the two with the buzz-cut hair then asked as he reached over.

"Gentlemen!"

Both stopped on hearing that woman's voice.

"That's not the way to treat a beautiful guest to our humble nation! I would suspect that even people belonging to a _ninkyō dantai_ would understand THAT!"

They turned around . . .

. . . and then paled on seeing who was now walking up to them. "_**T**__**Ō**__**SHI!**_"

That made the woman born as Lǐ Xiāngyíng blinked before she turned . . .

_Ara! It's little Kyoko-chan! She's grown up SO much . . .!_

The assassin froze on hearing that joyous shout from deep within her heart. As she started to curl in upon herself, Kyoko gazed her way before turning to glare at the two Yakuza thugs who had gone up to confront her. One look from those hawkish eyes – as the late afternoon sun caught her silver magatama just right to make it glitter – made both men gargle as they quickly retired in disorder back to their limousine. Watching them go, Kyoko shook her head. "They don't make Yakuza like they used to . . . "

"_**KYOKO-CHAN!**_"

The ninja-trained tōshi tensed . . .

. . . and then she cried out as a girl's arms – draped in a surplus army combat jacket sleeves – wrapped around her. "Kyoko-chan . . . " that voice moaned out.

Quickly fighting down the urge to lash out with her kunai throwing knives at the person now hugging her, Kyoko blinked, and then she sighed. _Gods! Even _I_ was fooled for a moment! That sounded so much like Kaori-san, I actually thought it WAS her!_ she thundered to herself before she turned to gaze into the face of a sobbing Lǐ Xiāngyíng. Wincing on seeing the young woman – who was actually a year younger than she! – in such a state, Kyoko sighed as she reached up to tap a couple points on her spine, which made Xiāngyíng jolt before she dropped unconscious into her arms.

By then, two police officers – and a woman dressed in the uniform of a police superintendent – were making their way through the stopped traffic towards her. "Halt!" one of the policemen said as he moved to blow his whistle. "Stand away from that man right this . . .!"

His voice caught in his throat as Kyoko stared at him, that movement enough to cause her magatama to swing out from under the bangs of her hair. On seeing that, Nogami Saeko blinked, and then she chuckled. "Ebisu Kyoko-san, I presume."

"You presume correctly, Nogami-keishi," Kyoko stated before she gazed down at the unconscious assassin from Taiwan. "This woman is the recipient of Saeba Kaori-san's heart; I understand you're investigating what happened to it after she was killed on behalf of Ryō-san." She gazed back at Saeko, who was gaping in surprise at her. "She appears to be suffering from a case of very strong delusions. No doubt ultimately stemming from the transplant operation. I'll get her to the Cat's Eye Café. Moroboshi Negako-sama is there right now. She can examine her."

Saeko nodded. "Go right ahead, Kyoko-san. You have our thanks."

"Hai! Excuse me, please!"

And with that, Kyoko smiled as she leapt straight up to land on top of a nearby lamp post before she bounded away to the west. As the police officers watched her go, one of the small crowd of people that had started to gather around the intersection came up. "Um, Keishi-san, is it wise to turn over a girl like that to a _t__ō__shi_ of all things?"

Saeko smiled. "She is not just tōshi. She is Oniwabanshū as well."

The man gasped. "Oniwabanshū . . .?"

"Hai. Her family's service to the nation – ever since the day the Guardians of the Garden were first formed under Shōgun Tokugawa Yoshimune – is well-known to all. If she survives high school, she'll probably become a highly-prized agent in the Public Security Intelligence Agency . . . or perhaps an assaulter in either the Ground Self-Defence Force's Special Forces Group or the Maritime Self-Defence Forces' Special Boarding Unit." She then sighed before looking around. "Alright, let's get this traffic jam cleared up. If anyone asks about it, an innocent girl was found dazed and confused by a concerned passer-by and is now being sent off to competent mental care."

"HAI!" the police officers chanted . . .

* * *

In a limousine nearby . . .

"_**EH? T**__**Ō**__**SHI?**_"

"Hai!" one of the two Yakuza who had gone out to confront Glass Heart stated as they gazed back on their boss, Mochiyama Hideo. "She looked like the ninja-girl from Yoshū, the one calling herself Koshaji. We weren't going to do anything stupid with the likes of HER, so we came back here. She just carried that girl off."

The Yakuza _kaikei_ for the local branch of the Seidō-kai – the Japanese branch of the Zhèngdào-huì – blinked before he sat back in his chair. "What girl?"

"We don't know, Boss! She was dressed in combat fatigues and a jacket. Looked like a Chinese girl, with dark brown hair and brown eyes . . . "

"_**WHAT?**_"

Both men jolted. "What's wrong, Boss?" the driver asked.

Mochiyama blinked, and then he reached into his jacket to pull out a picture. "Is it THIS girl?" he demanded as he showed the picture to them.

They looked, and then they nodded. "That was her, Boss!" the other man said.

Silence.

"Oh, ye gods! That was GLASS HEART!"

Both men gaped, stunned to believe the very woman who had brought their overall leader all the way up from Taiwan to Japan had been within their very grasp minutes ago. "Boss! We can't get her away from a TŌSHI!" the driver then stated.

"Never mind!" Mochiyama drew out his cell phone and began dialling. A moment later, the other end responded. "Moshi-moshi? Sū-san? Is Master Lǐ there?" A pause, and then he nodded. "Hai, hai! He's getting rest! That's good! Is Master Chén there? I have news about Glass Heart! She's HERE in Shinjuku!" He blinked as shouting broke out on the other end for a moment. "Moshi-moshi . . .?"

"This is Chén," a wizened voice called back. "Well done, young man," he stated, which made Mochiyama blush. "Is Glass Heart with you at this time?"

"Um, n-no, sir! A tōshi – you probably know of them – took her away!"

"WHAT?" A pause, then, "Wait!" More words exchanged in the background, and then the grand chamberlain of the Zhèngdào-huì came back, "This _dòushì_ that took Glass Heart away. Was she a silver-haired girl with brown eyes and a tattoo on her cheek?"

Mochiyama blinked. "I believe so. Just a moment, please," he answered before gazing at his subordinates. "The tōshi? Silver hair, brown eyes and a tattoo on one of her cheeks?" As both men nodded, he called into the phone, "Hai, Master Chén, it's her! I . . . " He gasped as memory came back. "Oh, my! That's the girl . . . "

"Who helped save Master Lǐ," Chén finished. "She is now seen by Master Lǐ as an Honourable Friend of the Society, Mochiyama-san. I am sure that Glass Heart will soon recover from the problems of having Saeba-sama's wife's heart transplanted into her, under the care of the honourable Moroboshi Negako-sama, whom the Lady Kyoko is known to. Again, your assistance is most appreciated, Mochiyama-san. Say nothing of this, though, to anyone who does not have to be concerned about it. Understood?"

He tensed. "Hai!"

The line was disconnected. "Boss . . .?" the driver asked.

Mochiyama breathed out. "I never thought life as a Yakuza was like _this_!"

Both of his underlings blinked . . .

* * *

Tomobiki, the Moroboshi home . . .

"_**GET HER OUT OF THIS . . .!**_"

_KLONK!_

"_**YOU BE QUIET, YOU SELFISH GIRL!**_"

That – to the total amusement of the Moroboshi siblings – was Hinomura Emu's predecessor as the matriarch of the Bǎibālóng-huì, Hǔ Fēnglíng; she had taken the living room table and smashed it over Kinshō's head after everyone else removed their tea cups. Standing close to the genkan after coming inside, Mie sighed. "Ne, Ataru-chan, you want me to whip up a spell that could make this selfish bitch you call a mother suffer EVERYTHING that you endured while Hensō was here?"

Ataru – who had just come down after getting himself dressed up for his date this evening with Chigaiko, accompanied by the Nobushige twins (all of whom were waiting beside Mie) – hummed for a moment, which made his mother shiver in fear. "Sure, go ahead, Mie-chan. If it finally shuts her up for a change, we won't have to leave . . . and make sure she GROWS OLD and DIES ALONE!" As Kinshō gargled in horror on hearing that threat from her only son, he then turned to offer his arm to Chigaiko, who was quick to claim it. "Shall we be off, my dear? Karaoke awaits!"

"Hai!"

And with that, they headed out, Tazuna and Katsumi following them. "Do have fun, Onii-san," Hiromi stated before sipping her tea. "Onē-san, what about you?"

Tariko sighed. "Well, I'm not in the mood to listen to Baka Kā-san bemoan the fact that her perfect world will NEVER come, so I'm going to do my homework, then probably go see a movie later." She hummed as she gazed on Mie. "I sensed Ataru blood-warding his bedroom to prevent the idiot there from breaking in and trying to wreck his stuff just to be a close-minded idiot . . . " – she thumbed her mother in emphasis – " . . . but would you mind making sure she can't get in there?"

A nod. "I'll go look."

"_**NO . . .!**_"

_KRACK!_

"_**SIDDOWN AND SHUT IT, YOU STUPID IDIOT!**_" Tokai Takaya snapped after whipping out his Browning Hi-Power to smash Kinshō across the jaw with the end of the pistol grip, thus stopping her from trying to interfere in what the sorceress from Kyūshū would do to effective help lock her out of one of the rooms in her own home. "_**GODS! YOU'RE EVEN MORE FUCKIN' SELFISH THAN ALL THE WEBSITES ABOUT TOMOBIKI SAY ABOUT YOU! NOW PARK IT AND SHUT IT!**_"

"Hiromi-san, would you mind it too much if I arrange an ACCIDENT to happen to her?" Hōjō Akira then asked as he gazed in amusement at his host.

THOSE words made Kinshō gargle in shock. "A very tempting offer, Master Akira. VERY tempting, indeed!" Hiromi stated before sipping her tea.

Kinshō turned sheet-white, and then collapsed into a faint on the floor as the others in the room – save Muchi, who was reading his evening copy of the _Yomiuri Shimbun_ – all laughed. "Have fun, Hiromi-chan," Tariko said as she headed upstairs, followed by Mie.

The back door then opened. "Onē-san!"

Hiromi looked over. "My heavens, Mitsuki-chan! Whatever is the matter?"

Karasawa Mitsuki smiled as she handed a dataPADD over to the reborn emperor. "Read that! It should prove to be a little interesting," she said.

Hiromi took the device and flicked it on, gazing at the information there. "A case of child abuse towards a young wand-witch born of normal parents in England?" she asked, and then she scanned the information there. "Ah! An Avalonian couple discovered what was going on and summoned the authorities!" She then blinked. "Who on Earth is this Harry Potter fellow?" she asked as she gazed on the younger girl, pointing to the dataPADD, where the article headline **HARRY POTTER'S COUSIN ABUSED BY GRANDPARENTS, RESCUED BY AVALONIANS NOW LIVING IN SURREY!**

"Harry Potter is a very famous wizard from Somerset in England who was hailed as the 'Boy-Who-Lived' due to his surviving a direct strike from the Killing Curse courtesy of a wizarding terrorist named Tom Riddle in 1981, Hiromi-chan," Hinomura Yō then stated. "Due to an actual prophecy, he was destined to finally destroy Riddle – who operated under the _nom de guerre_ 'Voldemort' – which he did in the late spring of 1998. I met him once while he was operating across Britain seeking a final end to that monster; the Death Eaters – Voldemort's followers – attacked two groups that were affiliated with us and caused casualties." He smiled. "The ones responsible for those attacks soon learned that their magic was no match for the knowledge of Shàolín."

Hiromi's eyebrow arched. "And the wizarding government in Britain did not seek to retaliate against your noble and ancient organisation due to the fact that 'muggles' had attacked and killed those under their rule directly? From what Onē-sama briefed me about the wand-wizards of Europe, they are disgustingly selfish and arrogant – especially when it comes to how they view normals to say anything of normal-born wizards and witches – as well as being insanely ignorant of normal society around them."

"Fortunately, the Minister for Magic appointed after Voldemort's fall – a very decent fellow named Kingsley Shacklebolt – was made to see reason by the Queen before he could send his Aurors on a suicide mission," Yō stated, an amused smile crossing his face. "Fortunately for us, _les Soldats_ – whose ancient mission was to guard against the actions of dark wizards in territories they claim as their own – also were in action at that time. Several other Death Eaters – not to mention the Dementors as a whole as well as a rogue group of lycans under Fenrir Greyback – were killed by their agents pretending to be Noir. Or 'Death's Maidens' as they are often referred to by magicals in Europe who have a history of running afoul of Noir." His smile grew wider. "Of course, once it was suspected that Noir was involved in their deaths, even Voldemort himself refused to sanction any sort of retaliation mission against any suspected _Soldat_ base or leader."

"And you have convinced the noble Soldiers of the Franci to join us?"

"I hope they will join us. I have yet to . . . "

The doorbell then pealed. "I'll get it," Mitsuki said as she walked over to the front door and opened it, looking outside. "Hai?" she asked.

"_Bonjour_, _ma petite soeur_," the beautiful woman – seeing her, Mitsuki was instantly reminded of Brigitte Bardot when she starred in the 1956 film _And God Created Woman_ – standing there said as she offered her hand. "I'm Simone Flaubert, the Ambassador of New Avalon to the French Republic," she introduced herself as Mitsuki shook her hand. "My wonderful friend here . . . " – she waved to a silver-haired man with grey eyes, who was walking with a cane – " . . . is _Monsieur_ Rene Brefford, a member of the Council of _les Soldats_."

Mitsuki blinked, though she was also quick to blush as the native of Paris took her hand to give her a courtly kiss. "Oh, you're part of the group that helped Yō-san deal with the stupid dark wizards in Britain, right?" As Rene blinked, she beckoned them inside. "Onē-san!" she called out after Simone had closed the door behind her. "Brefford-san of _les Soldats_ is here to see you, along with Ambassador Flaubert!"

Hiromi and the other guests – save a still-unconscious Kinshō and her husband, who was still reading the newspaper – rose as they came into the living room. "_Bonjour_, _Monsieur_ Brefford," the reborn emperor said as she gave the visitor from Paris a proper hand-salute. "The fame of your organisation has preceded you."

"As the fame of your organisation has preceded you, _Mademoiselle_ Moroboshi," Rene returned with a deep bow to her, and then he turned to smile at the guests from Hong Kong. "Yō! My friend, you look well!" he said as he offered his hand to the leader of the 108 Dragons, who took it. "Thank you for what you did for us."

"In many ways, we have always fought for the same causes, Rene," Yō stated.

Introductions were then made to everyone else, including Hari Sumiko (who had stayed with Hiromi to advise her more when it came to dealing with groups like the Society of the 108 Dragons and the Kantō Sagara Alliance . . . and now the Soldiers of the Franci). Once that was done, Hiromi took a deep breath. "My friends, it appears the living room is becoming a little too crowded, so let us repair to the dōjō. I'm sure Onē-sama will not mind our relaxing there as she has yet to decide when she will start taking on students outside what she teaches us in class. This way, please," she then bade them towards the back door.

They all streamed out of the room, taking their tea and coffee with them. Soon enough, the living room was emptied save for Muchi – who was still reading the paper – and Kinshō, now slowly picking herself off the floor. "Anata . . . " she moaned out as she stared wide-eyed at her husband. "Why didn't you . . . throw them out . . .?"

Silence.

"Anata . . . ?" she gasped before yanking the paper away from him . . .

. . . only to freeze on seeing tears flowing down his face. "Anata!"

Muchi sighed. "He didn't have to do that . . . "

Kinshō blinked. "Who?"

"Aniki," he hissed out.

A snort. "Who cares about old Broken Balls, any- . . .?"

A loud _CRACK!_ echoed through the house, which made the door to Tariko's room upstairs fly open, revealing Ataru's twin. She quickly slid down the safety rail from the upper floor to look into the living room . . . and then she stopped on seeing her mother sprawled on the floor, holding a now-reddening cheek thanks to the slap that had been delivered onto it by her husband. Gazing at him, Tariko was quick to see a look of outrage on his face. "Something wrong?" she asked as she crossed her arms.

Her father took a deep breath. "That is my BROTHER you just insulted, Kinshō!" he snarled at her, which made his wife wince. Before she could say anything in answer to his striking her, Muchi gazed sadly on Tariko. "Tariko, if you and the others want to move out, I won't stop you. Gods only know, your mother has done everything within her power to ensure none of you could ever consider this your true home." A sigh as he moved to stand. "I won't stop you. Hell, I don't blame you anymore."

A shake of the head. "Typical."

Muchi jolted. "Tariko . . . "

Turning away, she moved to head back upstairs. "Like the fucking coward you always were, Muchi, you don't bother saying what needs to be said _**to the one you've both hurt the most**_!" As he moved to protest, she held up a finger. "Don't bother!" she said. "Any word you say to him won't wash anymore." She gazed at him. "You don't know what happened to all of us on Morningstar Plain, don't you?" As Muchi blinked, Tariko smirked. "We _**killed**_ over _**twelve hundred people**_ in the space of about _**twenty minutes**_! And it wasn't just Onē-san doing the work! We were ALL involved!"

As her father paled on hearing that, Tariko looked away. "Atop that, a couple days ago, some pirates from an Urusian colony came here to kidnap a whole bunch of Avalonians to have their own harem of sex slaves," she added. "Ataru killed _**four dozen**_ of the bastards. And there, he didn't have any help from Onē-san, Hiromi or me!" She smirked. "So think about it, both of you," she advised before heading upstairs. "Pull something stupid . . . and it might be considered **_justifiable homicide_**," she added.

Muchi watched her go back to her bedroom, totally speechless. Beside him, Kinshō was as pale as a ghost . . .

_**To be continued . . .**_

* * *

**WRITER'S NOTES:**

1) In the story surrounding the origins of **Moroboshi Negako**, I always indicated that it was Master Hosan Hirosuke who created the initial "mental data-file" many centuries ago that would eventually evolve into the _Saikō Jinseijutsu_.

2) Translations: **Coup de Famille** – Strike of the Family, a play on the concept of **Coup d'Etat** (properly translated as "strike of the state" though actually meaning "strike against the state"); **Xuánwǔ** – Ebony Tortoise (one of the Four Symbols of Chinese astrology, which symbolises water, the north and winter); **Bakufu** – Literally "tent government" (the name used to identify the government controlled by a shōgun); **Dōri** – name suffix for a city street; **Keishi** – Police superintendant, the chief of a small police station; **Kaikei** – Yakuza syndicate accountant; **Nom de Guerre** – Name of War; **Bonjour** – Good day; **Ma Petite Soeur** – My little sister.

3) **Liú Xìnhóng** (also known as Number 33) is Lǐ Xiāngyíng's would-be boyfriend. He first appeared in the eighth episode of _Angel Heart_, "True Friends."

4) **Koshaji** (**Ebisu Kyoko**) is one of the more tragic characters from _Ikkitōsen_. She made a brief appearance in the second episode of _Dragon Destiny_, "The Evil Lord Awakens," when she was part of a group from Yoshū who tried to kill **Sōsō Mōtoku** (**Tsukasa Torusuke**); in that story, she was killed when his dragon awoke and he crushed her head against a brick wall in the wake of her piercing the left eye of **Kakōton Genjō** (**Natsukimi Makoto**) with one of her kunai. I felt her fate in that story to be both quite wasteful of a good character . . . and a typical example of the horrors facing tōshi in general as they are depicted in Shiozaki-sensei's series. Like other fanfic writers who've delved into _Ikkitōsen_, I decided she deserved a good amount of luck in _Phoenix From the Ashes_; she first appeared there in Part 3.

5) The **Oniwabanshū** were real warriors in the service of the Tokugawa from the time of the government of the eighth shōgun of the period, **Tokugawa Yoshimune** (1684-1751; ruled from 1716-45) to the Meiji Restoration. They were primarily used as undercover detectives or civil spies against potential rebellious elements of society. In Japanese popular culture, the Guardians of the Garden were often endowed with ninja-like powers and I played up on that when I decided to give Ebisu Kyoko some history beyond her being the spiritual heiress of Hú Chē'ér.

6) **Umibōzu** (**Ijūin Hayato**), also known as **Falcon**, was one of the _Cityhunter_ characters who survived the transition to _Angel Heart_, as did one of Saeba Ryō's would-be "dates" from the original series, **Nogami Saeko**. Umibōzu's wife Miki (her last name is my invention) and Ryō's would-be girlfriend Asō Kasumi did not survive the transition from the original series to the new one, but I mentioned them both here to bring the two storyline histories together.

7) The "Broken Balls" insult for **Moroboshi Komeru** by his sister-in-law was bestowed on him in _The Senior Year_ due to his being born around the time the Nagasaki atomic bombing of 9 August 1945 happened. Since the events in _TSY_ were set in the early 1980s, it would be about the right time for Komeru to be born given he is the elder brother between himself and Muchi. Since events in this story are set 30 years ahead of when _TSY_ was set, I can't use the radiation damage to his body to render him effectively sterile, but there are other possible source points for such an affliction (like the outbreak of **Minamata disease** in the town of the same name in Kumamoto Prefecture on Kyūshū between 1956-68). I won't take time to consider it since I don't plan to have Komeru in this story anyway.


End file.
